A Leicester bingo player is celebrating after winning £50,000 at Mecca Bingo Leicester during a special nationwide game last weekend.
The lucky winner, who has chosen to remain anonymous, was enjoying a family night out at the Freemans Retail Park venue when she matched every number called in the ‘full house’ round of Mecca’s £100,000 game on Sunday.
Picture credit: Mecca Bingo. Picture shows Andrew Smith General Manager of the venue
The game marked the finale of Mecca’s Big Million Weekend, a three-day event during which Mecca Bingo clubs across the UK shared more than £1 million in prize money. All 49 Mecca venues took part, with numbers called live from Mecca Thanet.
Under the rules of the game, £25,000 was awarded to the first player to complete one line, a further £25,000 went to the first to complete two lines, and the top prize of £50,000 was reserved for the first player to achieve a full house.
Around 500 players packed into Mecca Bingo Leicester for the special Sunday evening session. Andrew Smith, General Manager at the venue, described the atmosphere as “electric”.
“The tension in the room increased as each number was called,” he said. “When the winner shouted, the whole club erupted with screams of joy. People were cheering – everyone was just so happy that someone at Mecca Leicester had won the big prize.”
Confetti cannons were fired as staff and customers celebrated, with fellow players rushing over to congratulate and embrace the emotional winner.
“Everyone was full of joy for her and for the club,” Mr Smith added. “She was very emotional and completely overwhelmed. She stayed to play the second half of the session, but she was clearly in shock and still shaking when I said goodbye to her at the end of the night.”
The winner is understood to be planning a holiday to celebrate her windfall.
Reflecting on the moment, Mr Smith said big wins like this are what make his role so rewarding. “I felt truly elated for the winner, and sharing her special moment genuinely made my day. Bingo brings people together – friends, families and communities – and it’s moments like this that remind us why we love what we do.”
