Bingo Alerts Funded Via BBC Dragons Den

The Bid: Emmie & Ed Stevens wanted £200,000 for 10% of their business

The would-be entrepreneurs laid their cards on the table with a self-assured pitch. Their trump card was that users could download the latest alerts onto their desktops and be assured of the latest information.

Duncan Bannatyne threatened to end their winning streak with doubts about the viability of an online bingo business, but Theo Paphitis pointed out that 'Mrs. P' spent every night glued to the bingo at home, and it looked once again as if Emmy and Ed would be flushed with success.

However, their existing businesses proved to be a joker in the pack for the Dragons. Peter Jones suggested that there was a conflict of interest between their media agency and the Gaming Alerts business and declared himself out, whilst Deborah Meaden felt that she would need too large a stake in Gaming Alerts to make any offer viable; he was also out. And Emmy and Ed appeared to have a busted flush when James Caan and Duncan Bannatyne both felt their projections were too ambitious and also declared themselves out.

Only one Dragon remained, and Theo Paphitis showed his hand. In a dramatic twist, he asked Emmy and Ed to come back with a better deal than the original 10% on offer. After tense conferring and counter-offers, Gaming Alerts was on its way to winning the jackpot, having secured £200,000 investment from Theo in return for 30% of the company.

The deal done in the Den: £200,000 for 30% of the business