LOL Bingo has announced it will close its high street bingo lounge in Sunderland just three months after it opened, with the site demanding “a disproportionate amount of time” from the rapidly growing business.
LOL Bingo is to close its Sunderland high street venue to concentrate on consolidating the success of its three sister sites, with director Mike Smith acknowledging the “disappointing” reality of the decision.
The Holmeside site opened in May, after LOL Bingo invested almost £250,000 converting a vacant retail unit into a gaming and slots lounge, however footfall has not reached the levels expected.
“Although the business interest was building, for a small business like ours, it was taking up a disproportionate amount of time based on the early business performance and our limited time is better spent on our three currently trading venues,” Smith told Coinslot.
It’s a difficult decision, not just considering the investment made by LOL, but also for the prospects of helping the north east city’s revival plan.
“We’ve taken a swift and decisive decision and whilst it’s disappointing, we’ll dust ourselves down, learn from the experienceand come back stronger. We’ll now enter a short period of consolidation before inevitably moving forward with the concept which we still firmly believe in.”
The Sunderland site featured “one of the widest slots choices in the area”, as well as a licensed bar. It welcomed its first customers on 23 May, but will now close before the end of the summer.
LOL Bingo was founded in 2022, and underwent a major expansion in the first three years, establishing sites in Harpurhey, Wallsend, and Southport, with customers attracted by the chance to play bingo from 10am to midnight.
Smith said that they will now be “reviewing our strategy for further growth,” but revealed that he has signed Heads of Terms for a fifth UK lounge. However, the ambitions of LOL Bingo in Sunderland were possibly a few years too early on the city’s trajectory for recovery.
As recently as April a planned revival project to a former M&S building raised fears that the key city centre investment may not be “feasible nor structurally possible”, reflecting the tough times still constraining the north east city..
Haway the lads
Mike Smith said… “We’ve taken a swift and decisive decision and whilst it’s disappointing, we’ll dust ourselves down, learn from the experience and come back stronger…
Originally published on Coinslot on August 17, 2026. Republished with permission.