Beginner’s luck as Emma (20) scoops £313,000 Platinum Bingo prize
04 July 2008

A young woman from North Glasgow, talked into playing bingo by her gran, has won more than £313,000 on her third visit to the Mecca Forge Club in Duke Street..

“I just couldn’t believe it when they told me how much I had won,” said 20-year-old Emma Johnston, still in shock after her massive win.

“It was my gran, who is a very keen bingo player, who started me off playing a couple of months ago. The first time I went I won £220!  Then nothing the second time and now this. I am sharing the prize-money with her and even she says it isn’t real.”  Her grandmother is 65-years-old and lives in North Lanarkshire.

It was on Sunday, 29 June that good fortune struck for Emma and she won a total of £313,815. This was made up of the Platinum Jackpot prize of £303,904; the Sunday afternoon National Game prize of £8,960; the Zone prize of £1,020 and the Club/house prize of £220. She completed a full house in 37 numbers, the lowest call in any of the clubs playing nationwide.

“When I shouted for the house prize, I thought to myself I will put that by for a holiday,” said Emma. “I carried on playing the next few games not realising I had a chance with the National prize. At the very end of the session they told me how much I had won. I just couldn’t take it in and my gran sat there shaking.”

When Emma, who works as an administrator, told her boy-friend, a labourer, who has never played bingo, he didn’t believe her either.  “I am going to buy a flat,” added Emma, “and have already seen a couple of possibilities.  I can pay for it and still have plenty of money left over for other things.”