Bingo news | Oct 01, 2021
The Biggest Bingo Jackpot Wins Ever
By RTR Alex
With millions of Brits playing Bingo every day, it’s no surprise that the Bingo is now nearly a £1 billion-per-year industry, generating £910 million from April 2019 to May 2020. The majority of that comes from brick-and-mortar institutions, contributing £635.9 million to the total, but signs show that the online bingo world is quickly catching up.
The Covid-19 pandemic caused online casino traffic to take a huge jump. Over the year starting April 2019, online bingo saw a 1% increase in wagering, while brick-and-mortar casinos saw an almost 6% drop.
In any case, at this amount of money, it comes as no shock to see jackpots on the rise too… So on that note, here’s a rundown of some of the biggest bingo wins ever.
Anita Campbell - Two £500,000 Wins In Just Two Weeks
Anita Campbell somehow landed two huge online bingo wins within a fortnight. Anita is a mum of four from County Durham and became a millionaire in just 10 days playing online at Mecca Bingo.
This is truly a rags to riches story with Anita having been on Universal Credit for over a year, according to an article in the Metro.
Just after signing up to Mecca Bingo, Anita hit a jackpot of £597,000. 10 days later, she somehow bagged another jackpot at a huge £522,000. Anita was said to have moved out of her rented property into a new house, also buying her father a new home and paying off debts left over from her mother’s funeral. A story of this much luck going to someone in need can’t help but warm your heart.
Jon Orchard - £5.9 Million and The Biggest Online Bingo Win Ever
In 2012, a 60 year old grandad from Linconshire became the record holder for the biggest ever online bingo jackpot. John Orchard had only recently started playing Butlers Bingo and bet just 30p on a popular online video slot. Little did John know, that 30op would change his life. He walked away seconds later with a jackpot of almost £5.9 million.
With such a life changing amount of money, it’s no surprise that John soon retired and quit his job working at the local job centre and switched out his Renault Clio, for what's now a much more fitting, Jaguar XF.
Mr. Orchard said:
“I just couldn’t believe I’d won. This will change my life completely. I was looking at working for another 5 years at least, but not any longer now.”
Lisa Potter - £1.3 Million with Ladbrokes
Lisa became the biggest winner on the Ladbrokes online bingo site. She’s said to have waged £5 on a whim while her partner was busy watching the 2012 Euro Championship. That £5 changed her life, somehow returning over £1.3 million in just one game of bingo.
Lisa told the press:
“I have no idea what possessed me to play. I only play now and again, and it’s usually on a Friday. It was so surreal.”
As a mother of 3, the jackpot win couldn’t be more of a blessing. She said that she “was a single mum for a while and that was a struggle” and adding that after getting married her partner “has worked every hour God has sent to put food on the table and provide for the children.”
Alex Donohue of Ladbrokes headquarters said:
“As one of the highest winners at Ladbrokes online bingo ever, we bet she’ll never moan at her man for watching the footie ever again.”
Soraya Lowell - The UK’s Biggest in-house Bingo Winner Ever
Beating out Christine Bradfield, who broke the record with a £1.1 million win just a month before, Lowell became the one of the biggest bingo winners in the world in 2008 when she managed to win a massive £1.2 million, playing in the National Bingo Game at one of her local bingo halls - Club3000 in Scotland.
Just going out for a bingo night with her friends, she had no idea what luck she was about to encounter. Not long after playing, she landed The Platinum Jackpot worth £1,167,795 which just happened to be on offer that night.
One great part of this story is that Soraya split her winning with her bingo partner in crime – her 68-year-old next door neighbour Agnes O’Neill. They had always said they would split their winnings and Soraya stuck to her word.
After such an amazing tale of luck and the selflessness that followed, it’s sad to report that in 2012, 4 years later, Soraya Lowell allegedly filed for bankruptcy after unpaid debts and taxes became too much. It was reported in a local Lanarkshire newspaper that she had failed to pay the loan on her house. On that note, we always recommend seeking advice and exercising caution if you do find yourself winning an amount like this.
Could you be next...? Why not find out and visit Bingo - RakeTheRake for some of the best bingo offers around. Who knows... You may just get your name on top of this list of record-breakers.