Basildon Bingo Millionaire

A bingo player from Basildon has won a National Bingo Game prize worth more than £1 million in a Platinum Jackpot play-off. The winner, who is 64, started playing bingo at the Gala Club in Southernhay, Basildon, in 1994, and until now never viewed herself as being particularly lucky.

“I am in total shock,” she said. “I am still trying to get my head around it and it just won’t sink in. I have never been a lucky person, only winning £10 or £20 in the past. Nothing big ever.”

The winner scooped a house prize of £240, the Gala Bingo Club jackpot of £1,630, a Zone prize of £3,024, the National Game prize of £76,180 and the Platinum Jackpot of £942,279. All of this gave her a total win of £1,023,353, and transformed her into the UK’s latest bingo online millionaire.

It was at the Gala Club three years ago that the winner met her current partner. He is currently awaiting heart surgery, and he was the first person she called to share the good news. “I telephoned him after the win and said I have won an awful lot of money, you had better come down now. Then I put the phone down so he couldn’t ask me how much and burst into tears. I asked the member of staff who waited for him to break the news very gently because of his heart condition.”

The winner has a daughter and three grandchildren, whilst her partner has two children of his own. She is now thinking about what to do with her new-found fortune. “The family will benefit of course, and we will have a decent holiday once his operation is over,” she said. “The money will sit in the bank while we decide what to do with it.”

Bob Sidlow, who is Assistant Manager at the Gala Club where the prize was won, said: “There was an amazing atmosphere in the club when we announced how much she had won. Everyone was pleased for the winner and clapping and cheering. It was marvellous to see so much goodwill for her. It is fantastic for the Club as well.”

16th July 2008