We spoke to Marion Ryan, Managing Director at tombola, who emphasised why the social element of bingo is intrinsic to why people play.
Ryan revealed that as iGaming continues to mature, success will be found by operators who design holistic and safe digital betting experiences around engaged communities.
iGaming Expert: How much has the importance of expanding beyond just the bet been within betting in recent years, with players now seeking an experience when engaging with betting operators?
Marion Ryan: Players have always been seeking experience-led engagement, rather than just a transaction when choosing betting operators. We can see that from the beginning of betting in retail, casinos and bingo venues. The industry just hasn’t catered for it effectively digitally up to now.
Having come from a retail environment previously and now leading the tombola business, where the social element of bingo is intrinsic to why people play, it’s always been apparent to me that players want to feel connected and share that experience and its associated emotions with or near other people. We see that through our player engagement at tombola and how they share their stories, their jokes and their lives with the community.
Innovating around how we do that digitally in betting & iGaming is an exciting opportunity; the future belongs to operators who design holistic and safe digital betting experiences around engaged communities, not just betting products.
iGX: How much have you seen gamification evolve in recent years, and is there a danger that through gamification we overcomplicate iGaming engagement?
MR: Gamification has matured significantly — it’s no longer just about adding badges or leaderboards or seemingly unrelated features, just to say they’ve been done. It’s about responsibly designing layered systems of motivation and progression, while avoiding over-gamifying and feature overload, which research shows can lead to cognitive fatigue and turn players into rejectors.
The key is simplicity – adding value without creating friction or noise. At tombola, our players come first, and truly understanding their motivations for engaging with a product is paramount, and what you want them to feel or do within the product. We’ll build gamification experiences around that, rather than what is the prevailing trendy feature at a point in time.
iGX: What steps do you believe online operators can take to elevate the social experience and create the feeling of community?
MR: We often look to online multiplayer gaming and platforms like Discord or Twitch, where community is the product. Scopely is another really interesting business, designing for the community, rather than bolting it on. Players don’t just log in for the game or the event; they log in for each other.
For tombola, community is in our DNA — we were one of the first to integrate moderated chatrooms, live hosts, and events. But we also need to evolve and transform our approach. We’re exploring richer formats, shared challenges, live moments, and user-led content. Creating community isn’t about adding chatrooms and quizzes and enhancing a social media plan with a few more timely quips and videos; it’s about designing shared rituals and experiences.
At tombola, we’re innovating on how to architect belonging across every touchpoint.
iGX: How much will engagement evolve as the TikTok generation emerges to engage with betting products?
MR: This generation grew up with vertical video, infinite scroll, and micro-moments of fleeting delight — their attention patterns are native to speed and interactivity. This is a group that expects immediacy and culture-savvy experiences, but they also bring a heightened awareness around trust, ethics, and digital responsibility. They’re not just looking for entertainment — they’re looking for alignment.
Over two-thirds of Gen Z say that trust is a key factor in whether they’ll engage with a platform and that honesty and transparency are key attributes they look for in brands. They are quick to reject anything that feels manipulative or inauthentic. That’s why it’s so critical that their first experiences with betting and gaming — if and when they engage — come through regulated, trusted, responsible platforms. It’s vital that they are equipped with the knowledge to differentiate between legitimate and illegitimate sources.
From an operator perspective, we need to show up where the next generation is, prove that trustworthiness, and provide products and experiences that cater to their evolved expectations, so they don’t discover iGaming and betting through unsafe channels.
iGX: What role can gamification play in terms of keeping players engaged during downtime?
MR: Downtime is one of the most overlooked opportunities in digital product design; it’s no longer ‘dead time’ — it’s opportunity space. Gamification can fill that space with anticipation, community, and light-hearted diversion. Think of how Duolingo keeps users engaged even when they’re not actively learning, or how mobile games build progression arcs that span weeks.
Smart gamification during downtime isn’t just about retention — it’s about creating rhythm and routine in a player’s life. At tombola, we’ve always understood that engagement doesn’t require hours of commitment — just the right moment. Our Open for Fun campaign captured this perfectly. Whether it’s a quick game during a coffee break, while waiting for the bus, or yes — even on the loo — our players are looking for light-touch entertainment that fits effortlessly into their lives.
That means designing games that are mobile-first, fast-loading, and emotionally rewarding within a few minutes. But we also think about what happens between games. How can we use downtime to offer a surprise, or a social nudge? This is where thoughtful gamification comes in — mini-missions, streaks, or even ambient community features that make a player feel connected, even when they’re not actively playing.
The genius of Open for Fun wasn’t just the tagline — it was the recognition that fun lives in the margins of everyday life. And we design for those margins.”
iGX: How much can bingo tap into added gamification to enrich the player experience?
MR: Bingo is quite distinctively positioned to benefit from thoughtful gamification. It’s natural cadence — intervals, chat, anticipation of ‘One to go’ — creates built-in touchpoints for enhancement. But more importantly, it’s intrinsically social; it’s a game with and against other players, in a supportive, fun, safe environment. When you layer in meaningful progression systems, shared goals, or surprise-and-delight elements, you can amplify the emotional texture of the experience.
As the world’s largest bingo brand, we understand the need to respect the simplicity and nostalgia of bingo and not fall into the trap of overengineered gamification or trendy feature sets.
What matters to us at tombola is being careful to preserve what makes bingo special for our players: its warmth, its inclusivity, its balance and pace. Gamification shouldn’t overshadow that — it should elevate it.
iGX: How excited are you about the SBC Summit in Lisbon?
MR: Massively. This is the main event of the calendar for me this year. SBC events have always been a convergence point for thought leadership and insight, and a lot of great networking and fun. I’m particularly looking forward to the CEO Panel, with Flutter International CEO Dan Taylor. The UX & UI in Sports Betting session on Wednesday and the debate on who’s really responsible for gaming with my colleague Davnet Reid from Sky Gaming, are top of my list.
iGX: What are the key lessons that you hope to learn from the event?
MR: We’re an industry that’s evolving, our challenges and opportunities are shared, and best practice exists in the rooms and sessions we’re in, the expertise of the attendees and the people we meet during that week. I’m keen to learn about new market horizons, customer innovations and how we’re building industry trust as a whole.
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