The World's Most Famous Bingo Winners

Every person who plays online bingo or goes down to the bingo hall on a regular basis hopes that they will eventually hit the big time. But while Lady Luck isn’t always on everyone’s side, she has smiled down (from wherever “she” is) on a few.

We’re going to take a look at the handful of people from around the world that have struck gold while playing online bingo games or at a bingo hall. Here is our list of the world’s most famous big bingo winners – although the first one is a bit of a red herring, as you’ll discover.

John O

Took home: £5.9 million

We need to put in a disclaimer here before we get started on the world’s biggest bingo winner. John O did hit the jackpot on an online bingo site… but he wasn’t playing bingo online. Instead, he was actually playing slots online when he hit the motherload. But, we’ll still include him for his fine choice in playing at a bingo site.

It was December 2012, and John was a former factory worker who spent his time as a devoted grandfather – when he wasn’t down at the Jobcentre helping others find work close to Lincolnshire.

One day, he decided to wager 30p at an online bingo site and suddenly became the biggest online winner of all time. What did he do with his £5.9 million? Well, he traded in his Renault Clio for a £40,000 Jaguar XF, booked a delightful family holiday to Center Parcs and then spent a ton of money getting amazing Christmas gifts for his friends and family.

John told The Sun shortly after his win: “I just couldn’t believe I’d won it. This will change my life completely. I was looking at working for another five years at the Jobcentre – but not any longer.” What about now? Well, apparently he and his wife bought a house and retired, knowing that they never have to work again.

Georgios M

Took home: £5.1 million

There is very little known about a man that we simply know as Georgios M. What we do know is that he is Greek. The winner of the £5.1 million bingo jackpot decided to stay anonymous, so we don’t have much to go on, other than the fact that he must be over the moon. In fact, because John O didn’t win his fortune through a bingo game, this mystery man is actually the biggest bingo winner of all time.

Lisa P

Took home: £1.3 million

It seems as though 2012 was a lucky year! Lisa P, a housewife from Oxfordshire, won an online bingo game and walked away with a whopping £1.3 million in her account. Luckily for us, she was a lot more open about her win and gave an interview to the Oxford Mail to tell us exactly how this win would change her life.

“Just the feeling of never having to worry again is amazing. We have got our eye on a new house and a new car, but just to be able to have the kids’ future sorted is the main thing. Being able to afford their schooling and university without problems is something we would never have been able to afford before.”

In a twist of superstitious fate, Lisa said that a mirror fell off the wall just weeks before the win and she thought she would have seven years of bad luck. Well, Lady Luck had other ideas, didn’t she!

Soraya L

Took home: £1.2 million

Another lucky lady on our list is Soraya L. The cleaner from Lanarkshire, Scotland, had always been a bingo fan and was a regular at the local hall. As luck would have it, in 2008, she was playing her usual game at the local with her neighbour Agnes, when she won £1.2 million. Being the person that she is, Soraya shared her winnings with her friend and regular bingo companion. That’s one seriously good pal!

Not only that, but Soraya did the opposite of what many people would do if they won that amount of money: she decided to stick with her job for a while and make decisions further down the line. Her children did try to get some ridiculously expensive cars out of her winnings. Soraya, however, kept her head on straight and did no such thing.

Christine B

Took home: £1.1 million

Just like Soraya L, Christine B was a regular player at her local hall, and when she landed her £1.1 million jackpot, she also decided to share her winnings with her bingo partner Lorraine, who was also her sister-in-law. Funnily enough, the win came in 2008, the same year as Soraya’s.

Fifty-three-year-old Christine, who’s from Wales, had been playing at her local hall for more than 30 years when she got her big win. She shared the following in a Daily Mail interview:

“I love playing bingo and have been playing it since I was 18. I’ve had a few nice wins over the years, but nothing anywhere near this. I couldn’t believe it when they told me it was believed to be the biggest in the world [which it was at the time]. We didn’t sleep all night but [my husband] had to go to work in the morning. I work three days a week in a garage and luckily I don’t have to be in until Wednesday – but I’ll be there then as usual. I won’t be giving up work – I couldn’t be at home or I’d be out shopping all the time spending the money.”

Anita C

Took home: Over £1 million

Now, the case of Anita C is completely different from the rest of the ones we’ve mentioned. She might not have won amounts that were as large as the others, but she was lucky in a completely different way. Believe it or not, Campbell got two wins of over £500,000 within two weeks of each other.

This mother of four was thrilled with the win, and being the woman she is, she decided to use her money to focus on helping get her kids the things that she had always wanted to but never been able to afford before. She spoke to The Mirror and said, “It’s still a bit of a dream. I’m over the moon. I still can’t believe it. I thought straight away: ‘I can help my kids with this money.’”

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