The renowned Swedish game show Bingolotto faced significant backlash following its season premiere on January 5, 2025, as technical issues left many viewers feeling frustrated and disappointed. A number of players, including 71-year-old Karin Lantz, expressed their displeasure after finding out they had missed the show’s opening draw due to erroneous start times indicated on their tickets.
Karin and her partner Åke Lantz had been eagerly awaiting the first draw of the new season, only to discover upon turning on their television at the scheduled time of 18:30, as printed on their tickets, they had actually missed the show’s start by half an hour. “It feels really disappointing not to have the chance to call in,” stated Karin Lantz, who also noted, “There was no mention of the timing mistake during the broadcast,” according to Aftonbladet.
The situation escalated on social media as other players voiced similar frustrations. Many had relied on the times stated on their tickets, leading to anger and disappointment. One participant, whose ticket also indicated the incorrect time, mentioned, “I thought I was going crazy checking TV listings only to find the show was already on air.”
Mathias Skoglund, vice president of Folkspel, which oversees Bingolotto, remarked on the issue, explaining, “We regret any inconvenience caused. We endeavored to inform all ticket buyers about the broadcasting changes, but some unfortunately were not reached.” He confirmed to Aftonbladet the mistake stemmed from the game's return to TV4, which required changing its airing time to accommodate new scheduling. The tickets, printed three months prior, still bore the old airing times, which has become frustrating for many, especially with no compensation offered for missed opportunities.
Bingolotto's transition back to TV4 also led to additional technical difficulties. According to Expressen, multiple players experienced issues with the app and official website, which had busy signals during the holiday season due to overwhelming traffic. This surge prevented many players from accessing their digital tickets for several hours on Christmas Eve, compounding user frustrations.
After the draw, Bingolotto took to social media to apologize broadly, stating, “We truly regret the mistakes and are doing everything we can to rectify these issues. Moving forward, all tickets will accurately display the correct channel and time.” The show also noted they had distributed over 60,000 postcards and emails to inform subscribers of the changes made prior to airing the new season.
Despite these efforts, many felt left out of the loop. The reliance on the ticket timings led to questions about how effectively Bingolotto was communicating with its audience. “It feels like we were just left to fend for ourselves,” stated another disappointed viewer, “They could have done more to get the news out.”
Looking forward, Slwent Skoglund highlighted the challenges inherent to broadcasting changes, acknowledging, “It is unfortunate when the print process is out of sync with the broadcast schedule. We understand the importance for ticket holders to be informed and will continue to address this issue.” Bingolotto’s audiences can expect to see all printed materials corrected by week 10, according to the current announcements.
One positive note to come from the discussion is Bingolotto's emphasis on player feedback, with Skoglund stating, “We always value our players' input and aim for their enjoyment and satisfaction. It’s integral to our community.”
While the company manages this latest PR hiccup, players are left to hope for more consistent communication and reliability as the season progresses and preparations continue for upcoming draws. It’s clear their audience wants to hold onto the excitement of participating fully without the fear of missing out due to unnoticed errors.