‘I won £1,564’
Holly Mills, 32, from London, jetted off to Cyprus with her big jackpot win
Years ago I used to go to bingo with my nan, but it was actually my boyfriend’s mum who got me into playing online. She was staying with us back in 2013 and, as she was away from home, she would miss her usual bingo games. my boyfriend signed her up to Woman Bingo so she could play her favourite game while she was living with us.
But it turned out that it wasn’t just his mum who got into it. After seeing how the site worked and hearing about all the fun games, I thought I’d like to have a go, too…
Following suit
I signed up about three years ago and at first I would play once or twice a month. I would usually play on my laptop when there was nothing on telly, or if I had a night to myself when my boyfriend was out.
An old colleague had also played Woman Bingo, and I remembered that she had once won £7,000 and used the money to go travelling. But I never dreamt that I’d be a winner myself.
I found my way around the site easily and started to play the slots – my favourite games are Tiki Temple, Peggle and Winstones. You can play some slot games for as little as 1p a spin and you can often win a few pounds, which is great fun.
Then, in November 2015, I signed into my account one evening. For some reason, I thought I would have a go at a bingo game instead of my usual slots.
I occasionally play in Emerald or the other 90-ball bingo rooms, so I thought I would change things up for the evening. I bought a few tickets for Emerald Bingo, where tickets start from 2p, and began the game. My boyfriend was at home with me and we had a box set playing in the background, but I wasn’t really paying attention. Suddenly, he asked me a question about the show and I took my eyes off the laptop for a moment. When I looked back at the screen a couple of seconds later, my balance was looking bigger – a lot bigger – than it had a few minutes before! I was so shocked. I mumbled to my boyfriend, ‘What?’ ‘What’s going on?’ he asked. I could hardly string a sentence together to ask him if it was real and I had actually won £1,564. Almost as soon as he saw the screen, he called his mum to tell her the good news, while I remained staring at the laptop in shock! Meanwhile, all the other members in the chat room were congratulating me. It was a great feeling, even though it felt a little surreal. Eventually, after hours of being so excited, I couldn’t really concentrate on anything, the news of my jackpot win finally began to sink in! It wasn’t long before my boyfriend’s mum was phoning to congratulate me and asking what I was going to do with my amazing jackpot prize. I already had a holiday to Cyprus booked, so I decided to use the money towards that. I went away with my sister and my niece in June 2016 and we stayed in a fabulous four-star hotel. I’ve been to Cyprus before, but this time was even better – the hotel was great and the staff were so attentive. It was such a treat! My sister and my niece loved it, too.
‘I STARED AT THE SCREEN IN shock’
Another win?
Since my big win, I’ve recommended playing Woman Bingo to my sister – and I know that my boyfriend’s mum is still playing, too.
I usually play in the evening after work – or at the weekends when I have a bit of free time. I mostly play on the slot games.
I sometimes wonder whether I might one day win another jackpot – and if I do, I hope this time I will have my eyes on the screen when it happens!