Tombola Arcade sister sites

Our pick of the Tombola Arcade sister sites

Written by Benjamin Rose – Head Writer

Tombola is, in a sense, the reason you’ve come to this page. You might be looking for information about Tombola Arcade sister sites, but without the original Tombola Bingo website (frequently shortened to simply “Tombola”), Tombola Arcade wouldn’t exist. The Arcade product was spun off the success of the original and follows the same philosophy of carving its own path with unique games relying on content made by external providers. If you love the originality of Tombola Arcade but also enjoy bingo, Tombola is an iGaming site you’re definitely going to want to consider if you haven’t done so already. The games change, but the ethos and the atmosphere remain the same.

The company behind Tombola (which is, confusingly, also called Tombola) didn’t get around to launching the first incarnation of the Tombola website until 2004, but when it did, it changed the game. It was originally exclusive to the Sun newspaper (in many ways, it was the original Sun Bingo) but broke away three years later and started a journey that took it to where it is today. It claims to be the biggest bingo site in the UK, and it’s difficult to disagree with that claim. As for why there aren’t any other Tombola Arcade sister sites here – well, it’s because, from the point of view of the UK Gambling Commission, there aren’t any. Tombola and Tombola Arcade are the only iGaming sites registered to Tombola (International ) Plc. You could make an argument that there are several more Tombola Arcade sister sites, including the likes of Betfair and Sky Vegas, because of Tombola’s affiliation with Flutter Entertainment – but we’ll talk more about that topic a little further down this page.

Written by Benjamin Rose – Head Writer

Best Tombola Arcade sister site: quick answer

The closest Tombola Arcade sister site is Tombola. Both are operated by Tombola (International) Plc under UK licence account 38613. Choose Tombola Arcade for its own-made arcade-style games; choose Tombola when bingo rooms and the wider Tombola community are what you actually want.

Tombola Arcade and Tombola compared

Operator and licence clarity

Tombola (International) Plc operates both sites on the same active UK licence account. That confirms a direct relationship. Flutter Entertainment owns Tombola at group level, but that does not turn every Flutter-owned brand into a direct Tombola Arcade sister site. For this page, Tombola is the meaningful like-for-like comparison; unrelated group brands should be judged on their own operator, terms and product.

Which Tombola site should you choose?

Bonus, withdrawal and verification checks

Tombola’s current terms make an important point that too many review pages bury: verification checks can be required before certain account actions, including withdrawals, and maximum payout limits can apply to particular games. Check the exact promotion rules, maximum stakes, game-specific payout caps, payment route and verification position on the site on the day you join. A matching offer with no wagering requirement can still have a short expiry, excluded games or a cash limit that changes the value completely.

Tombola Arcade sister sites FAQ

What is the main Tombola Arcade sister site?

Tombola is the clear direct sister site. Both sites are operated by Tombola (International) Plc under UK licence account 38613.

Are Betfair and Sky Vegas Tombola Arcade sister sites?

They may sit in the wider Flutter corporate group, but they are not the direct licence-level Tombola Arcade comparison. A common parent company is not enough on its own to make a useful sister-site recommendation.

Does Tombola Arcade have ordinary casino slots?

That is not its main proposition. The site is built around its own arcade-style games, which is precisely why Tombola is the most relevant sister-site route for bingo-led players.

Tombola Arcade Information

Tombola Arcade operator – Tombola (International) Plc

While it may seem redundant to mention that Tombola Bingo is owned by Tombola (International) Plc, it’s an important distinction to make as the parent company also manages Tombola Arcade and would also be responsible for any potential future Tombola Arcade sister sites. Based in Sunderland and founded in 1999, Tombola has come a long way in the past two decades. Originally only available as a bingo brand in the UK, it has since expanded across Europe to countries such as the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, and Denmark. However, it wasn’t until 2005 that the first version of the Tombola website appeared, over six years after the company was founded. It wasn’t even called “Tombola” at the time – it was the original iteration of Sun Bingo and was tied exclusively to the newspaper. It wasn’t until three years later that Tombola officially split from The Sun and began operating as an independent entity. It was a risk, but it proved to be a shrewd move.

Tombola (International) Plc is the leading game developer in the North East of England, with approximately 800 employees. However, its size pales in comparison to its enormous parent company, Flutter Entertainment, which acquired the company in January 2022 for a staggering £402m. Following the acquisition, Tombola founder Phil Cronin stepped down from the business. As a subsidiary of Flutter Entertainment, Tombola now shares a roster with some of the biggest names in the online betting industry, including Sky Vegas, Betfair, and Paddy Power. With this behemoth behind it, Tombola may well go on to achieve even greater heights in the future. It’s an exciting time for the brand.

Tombola Arcade review

Tombola Arcade Welcome Bonuses

The way Tombola Arcade approaches bonuses is a mirror of the way that Tombola itself approaches bonuses. There’s a “double your money” welcome promotion at Tombola, and so there’s also a “double your money” welcome promotion at Tombola Arcade. The homepage of the site promotes it as an opportunity to deposit £50 as a new player and play with £100 due to the allocation of a matching £50 in bonus funds, but players don’t have to go quite so big with their first deposit if they don’t want to. You could deposit as little as £10 instead and play with £10 of bonus money on top. The bonus fund can’t be withdrawn as cash, but any winnings created using bonus money become cash immediately – there aren’t any wagering requirements to worry about.

Other Promotions

Nobody’s ever accused the website of the original Tombola website of being complicated, but the Tombola Arcade website is even more basic. It’s as stripped-back as it’s possible to be while still remaining functional, and as such, there’s no promotions page. Does that mean there aren’t any other promotions apart from the welcome bonus? Possibly not. We’re aware that there are occasional seasonal promotions at Tombola Arcade – and there might even be one at the time of your visit – but they’re not promoted on the homepage. If you’re eager for bonus cash, though, the easiest way to get it is to refer a friend to Tombola Arcade. You can offer any friend £5 in bonus cash to join Tombola Arcade, and not only do you get £20 as soon as they’ve deposited and spent their first £20, but you’ll also receive a percentage of their ongoing winnings. It’s one of the best “refer a friend” programmes in the entire iGaming sphere.

Top Games at Tombola Arcade

You won’t have heard of any of Tombola Arcade’s games before if you’ve never played at the site before – and that’s the brand’s biggest strength. There are several hundred online casinos out there that can serve you with the likes of Starburst and Rainbow Riches, and they’re becoming much of a muchness. Tombola Arcade is different by design, and all of its games are exclusive. You won’t find them anywhere else – not even on the main Tombola site! There aren’t hundreds of games here, but there should be something for everybody. Here are a few of Tombola Arcade’s top attractions.

Super Spins: The single most popular game at Tombola Arcade is Super Spins. There’s a very good reason for that – Super Spins is free to play. It’s as basic a slots game as you’re ever likely to see; all players need to do is spin a single reel and land three matching symbols to record a win. If three “free play” symbols land, you’ll get free spins. Three star symbols unlock a special “wheel of fortune” bonus game, and that’s a guarantee of a prize. Super Spins claims to pay out or give away 80,000 prizes each week, which is a big number and underlines the popularity of the game. Is it exciting from a design point of view? No, but why look a gift horse in the mouth?

Spin: This is a difficult concept to explain in a paragraph, but we’ll give it a go; Spin both is and isn’t a single game. It’s a category of games, but players get to build the games themselves. If you want to play a basic slots game with an Egyptian theme, you can pick both the layout and the theme. If you’re after something more complicated – cascading reels or 243 paylines, for example – you can pick those features and then choose a theme to play them with. There are eighteen different themes to choose from, from “Traditional” to “Minotaur,” the latter of which is fairly niche. No matter which format and theme you choose, though, the top prize in the Tombola Arcade Spins game is always limited to £1000.

Bubble: Tombola Arcade isn’t a “slots site.” It was never intended to become much like your average online casino. There are game categories here that most online casinos would never touch, and one of them is Bubble. Much as with Spin, Bubble isn’t an individual game so much as a category of games. Having chosen to play Bubble, players next need to pick one of three themes before the game begins. In the basic version, all players need to do is pop bubbles and fill a bar to win a prize. The Bubble Pop theme adds a layer of complexity by asking players to pop bubbles in clusters of matching colours. There’s also a Bubble Lab theme which is more complex still, inviting players to fill beakers with bubbles to win cash. Again, the top prize in any of these games is always limited to £1000.

The iGaming content of Tombola Arcade won’t be for everybody, and it isn’t designed to be. If you’re a big-money jackpot hunter, you’re going to find very little that interests you here. If you’re a fan of hyper-modern slots with dozens of bonus features, you’re probably going to find that the contents of the games portfolio at Tombola Arcade are too simple for you. If, on the other hand, you’re just looking for simple fun and a good time, you might quickly come to love Tombola Arcade’s style.

Customer Support and Licensing

Tombola Arcade is a top-tier iGaming site with a reputation for excellent customer support. The site’s commitment to providing effective assistance is evident in its live chat feature, which trumpets a super-quick four-second average wait time for connecting players to agents. For those who prefer a more personal touch, Tombola Arcade also offers freephone telephone support via the number 0800 29 88873. While email support is also an option (support@tombola.co.uk), it’s worth noting that response times can take up to four hours. As expected from such a reputable operator, Tombola (International) Plc holds a UK Gambling Commission licence (38613) and has managed to maintain an unblemished track record, receiving no warnings or fines from the regulator.

Withdrawal Speed and Support

Tombola Arcade’s withdrawal options may leave players feeling somewhat underwhelmed. Unfortunately, the site doesn’t support the use of modern withdrawal methods like e-wallets or instant banking, which could be a deal-breaker for some players. Instead, players are limited to withdrawing funds using debit cards or, like it’s still the 1990s, by requesting a cheque. If you happen to have a Visa debit card, you can expect a fast payout in two hours or under. However, if your debit card is issued by Mastercard or another provider, prepare to wait between three and five business days to receive your funds.

In a slight caveat to the above, there’s some talk in the full Tombola Arcade FAQ about PayPal and PayPal accounts receiving withdrawals within 72 hours. However, the PayPal logo doesn’t appear in the footer of the Tombola Arcade website, and it isn’t listed as either a deposit or withdrawal method elsewhere on the site. We think it’s possible that Tombola Arcade supported PayPal in the past, but the option has been withdrawn, and this entry in the FAQ has accidentally been left online.

Final Thoughts on Tombola Arcade

Tombola Arcade is likely to be like Marmite for the majority of players. Those who are bored of the same old online casinos and desperate to see something different are likely to love it. Those who enjoy depth and sophistication will probably be less keen. Nobody can accuse it of being unoriginal, though, and it has a charm that can’t be replicated elsewhere. The low caps on maximum payouts are a pain if you’re a jackpot hunter, but Tombola Arcade is a great destination for those who love to play just for fun.

Tombola Arcade player reviews: what users say

Tombola Arcade draws a notably mixed response. The summary reflects 5 player reviews we collected.

Support draws criticism for unanswered emails and unhelpful chat. Where opinion turns warm, it’s the breadth of games highlighted.

Tombola Arcade holds a UK Gambling Commission licence and its games are independently RNG-tested, so complaints alleging unfair results reflect individual experiences rather than verified findings.

Sources: player reviews on Trustpilot and other public review platforms.