Today, Julie Elliott, the Member of Parliament for Sunderland Central, has cautiously welcomed the news that Flutter is to acquire Tombola, one of the UK’s leading online Bingo brands.

Tombola is a family-run company that has been based in Sunderland ever since its founding, with employees from across the North East.

Flutter announced this morning that they are to acquire Tombola for around £402m. Once the purchase has been cleared by the Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA), the transaction is set to be completed in the first quarter of 2022.

Julie Elliott MP said:

“I cautiously welcome the news that Flutter have announced they are to purchase Tombola, and that they have given a commitment to retain jobs in Sunderland.

The Cronin family have been in business in the city for more than 150 years, contributing hugely to the local economy, providing jobs, careers and opportunities for local people. I must thank the Chief Executive of Tombola Phil Cronin for his work in Sunderland. I am sure that he will continue to be involved in the life of our city.

I will be seeking assurances from Flutter about Tombola’s presence in Sunderland, and I will stay in regular contact with Tombola’s new owners so that we can work together to make sure the city benefits from this new acquisition.

Sunderland is a great city to invest in, and this is proved by a number of big recent announcements, from investment in green energy, to the growth of the film industry. I do hope that this new acquisition is another announcement to be celebrated.”

ENDS

For further information please email julie.elliott.mp@parliament.uk