Facebook launches first real-money gambling app, ‘Bingo Friendzy’

Facebook has made a bold move into the online gambling space, allowing UK developer Gamesys to launch the platform’s first real-money gaming app. Dubbed Bingo Friendzy, the app offers users a selection of bingo and slots games, allowing them to pay directly with cash rather than mediating their purchases through Facebook’s Credits system. Like many online gambling outfits, Bingo Friendzy is registered in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar, and is restricted to players who are over 18 and resident in the UK.

Crucially, the app’s signup system is entirely separate from Facebook’s own — new users are required to enter email and physical address details rather than logging straight in with their Facebook accounts. While activity from Bingo Friendzy games is published to users’ timelines, posts are restricted from appearing in the feeds of under-18 and non-UK users. “Young people are far more likely to see an ad Bingo on the TV or in a betting shop window as they walk to school that they are on Facebook,” a source tells TechCrunch.