'I won £2,439 on my wedding anniversary!’
A win for Lynne Eastman, 64, from North Wales, gave her something extra to celebrate...
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a member of Woman’s Own Bingo, and playing a few games online is a fun part of the week for me. I’d never played bingo before I joined, but doing it online couldn’t be easier.
My favourite game on the site is one called Tiki Bingo. It costs just a penny a ticket for a game in a 90-ball bingo room. I usually buy 12 tickets, costing me a total of 12p. Mostly I log on in the morning – being retired, I tend to play during the day.
I set up my computer in the kitchen, buy my tickets and then usually potter about a bit, doing some cooking or reading the paper in between games. It’s so easy – the computer ticks my numbers off automatically, so I don’t have to worry about missing anything.
A jewel of a win
It was the Emerald Room where I had my first big win in January of this year. I don’t often play Emerald because Tiki really is my favourite game, but it was a link game, where a few of the bingo rooms join up, offering you the chance to win an even bigger full house. So I bought myself two tickets.
Emerald is a 90-ball game and, as I watched as the numbers were called, I had to pinch myself when I was announced as the winner of the £1,000 jackpot. It was such a surprise! I’d only spent 20p and won that huge amount! It was an amazing feeling and when I withdrew the money, I put it towards a new TV and also some bits and pieces for the house.
A few months later, the morning of my 47th wedding anniversary, I logged in. My granddaughter – who lives with us – was resting as she’d
been working nights. That evening, me and my husband were planning to get a takeaway and to toast our 47th year together. Each year, we have a little celebration and I was looking forward to our meal. As usual, I bought myself 12 tickets and logged into Tiki. It wasn’t long before I won a line and then I realised that I only had two numbers to go. A few numbers were called and then, ‘One to go!’ my computer announced.
I don’t know what I was expecting to happen, but as I waited for my last number – 12 – to be called, I saw it flash up on the screen. I had a full house! Within seconds my balance updated, with the jackpot of £2,439 appearing in my account.
‘Well done, winner!’ and ‘Congratulations’ messages instantly popped up on the side of the screen, where the other members in the chat room said how delighted they were for me.
As for me, I was just shocked! When I told my husband what had happened I had to show him the balance on the screen before he believed it too. Now we had two things to go and celebrate!
Back in the 70s when we got married, we didn’t get the chance to have a honeymoon. But, 47 years later and with a jackpot win in the bank, we started planning our belated trip. We searched the internet for caravans, so that we could go and buy one and tour the UK, going to the places we have never been before. Eventually we settled on the perfect caravan, and we’re planning to go away to Herefordshire in the spring.
I also gave my daughter and my granddaughter some money, so it was lovely that my jackpot could be shared with my family as well.
I still can’t believe I’ve won two jackpots within the year! Woman’s
Own Bingo is great as you can play so many penny games and be in with a chance of winning huge jackpots – plus all the members are so friendly.