‘I can’t believe I won £6,581!’
Woman Bingo member Susan Pavitt, 62, from Aveley, Essex, was thrilled with her cash prize
I’ve been a member of Woman Bingo for a decade now. although I’ve had lots of small wins, I play for fun and because I love chatting to the other members. Some days, I log on as soon as I wake up. I’m retired, but I still get up between 6.30am and 7.15am, and that’s one of my favourite times to play. I’ll log in on my laptop while I have my breakfast.
It’s fun to chat
I often read the discussions in the chat rooms, and I’ll pitch in if it’s something I’m interested in, like cooking or what’s been happening on TV. But one Saturday night in April last year, I opened my laptop and decided to have a few evening games.
I usually play Bingo Lounge – it’s by far my favourite game – but that evening I decided to play the Wonderland slots, choosing to go for the jackpot, which was already over £6,000 and getting bigger. I’d not been playing long when the reels stopped. I couldn’t believe it when I saw I was through to a bonus round. There are four bonus rounds on Wonderland and you can win the jackpot on any one of them. Excited, I carried on playing then, all of a sudden, the screen flashed. At first, I didn’t realise I’d won. But then I noticed people in the chat room were asking who’d hit the jackpot, and then they started congratulating me! So I looked at my balance on the screen and saw my account had rocketed. There was £6,581 that certainly hadn’t been there before! I was stunned. I genuinely never expected to land such a huge sum. I went into the living room and said to my husband, ‘I think I’ve just won £6,500 on Woman Bingo.’ ‘No, you haven’t,’ he laughed, looking up from the football. But just to make sure, he came and checked the screen with me. And when we looked, we could both see the jackpot in my account! It was such a lovely surprise. When I withdrew my winnings, I decided to give some to my family. I have four children and five grandchildren, so I wanted them each to have some cash so they could treat themselves to whatever they wanted.
Holiday planning
They were all so grateful, it made me feel even happier with my win. I still had a big sum of money left too, which I’ve put into savings for the time being. My husband and I are thinking about booking a holiday, maybe in Europe or perhaps even further afield. It’s great to be able to plan something fun.
Since my win, I’ve been telling friends and family about hitting the jackpot. My neighbour’s now joined the site and my daughter wants to sign up, too.
It hasn’t been that long since my win, but I still play as much as before. In fact, the very next day I won another £80 in Bingo Lounge! I’ve never been to a bingo hall, but when it comes to playing online, it’s easy to get the hang of. And it’s so chatty and friendly, I think anyone would enjoy it.
There’s a huge choice of games, so there’s something for everyone. And there really is no feeling quite like winning a jackpot – even when it takes you a minute or two to realise you’ve won!