Pensioner scoops £22,500 bingo jackpot

A Gorton pensioner says he was ‘absolutely shocked’ after being told he had just won £22,500 playing bingo.

The 73-year-old man, who does not want to be named, has been playing bingo for 20 years and plays three or four times a week at the Mecca Club in Hyde Road, Manchester, where he has been a member since it opened.

And his perseverance has played off. For while there on his own on Saturday,10 November he won the National Bingo Afternoon Delight Game prize of £22,500, together with the house prize of £70.

The National prize that afternoon was £45,000 but he had to share with a player in Wigan, who also completed a full house in 47 numbers, the lowest call in any of the 500 clubs playing nationwide.

“I couldn’t believe it when I was told I had won,” he said. “I thought I had no chance on 47 numbers. My wife thought I was lying when I told her.”

He intends to use some of the money to visit his two brothers in Australia, one of whom is very unwell at present. But he needs to improve his own health first before he is able to travel.

“I need to lose weight before I can go as it is affecting my health and my ability to walk. I’ve lost three stone and now weigh 15 stone, but I still need to lose more.

“When I’m fit enough to go, I intend to travel first class. If you’ve got it, flaunt it,” he joked.