Bearing in mind its popularity, you may not be surprised to hear that over 3 million people play bingo regularly in the UK today – understand new bingo calls. Since traditional bingo made the transition online, its accessibility has only increased how popular it is.

Despite how simple it is to play, if you needed any other reason why bingo is so popular, it’s here. It has made a lot of people very rich.

Although most prizes at bingo halls aren’t much, playing online can be much more lucrative.

Linked games run by major bingo brands over a number of sites mean that the prizes can be monumental. When you consider the progressive jackpots that get bigger and bigger over time, you’re left with the ingredients for a lucky individual to win genuinely life-changing amounts.

Christine Bradfield – £1.1 million

Christine Bradfield of Bargoed, Caerphilly was briefly named the biggest in-house bingo winner in the UK after having won £1.1 million. Bradfield had been a bingo regular for over ten years before she eventually won the prize money on 27th January 2008. The fortune came from £16 pounds worth of bingo tickets.

The 53-year-old mother of two worked part-time at a garage and despite having won over a million pounds, actually continued to work her £5.50-an-hour shifts three days a week.

Soraya Lowell – £1.2 million

Back in February 2008, Soraya Lowell of South Lanarkshire was a house cleaner when she decided to relax after a shift by playing some bingo. Lady Luck smiled on her and she won the £1.2 million jackpot at the tender age of just 38.

Unfortunately, money didn’t prove to be the end of all her problems. She filed for divorce from her husband some time after, and in 2012, she filed for bankruptcy. This goes to show that money management skills are just as important as the prize itself and that being a millionaire doesn’t always end well for everyone.

Lisa Potter – £1.3 million

Lisa Potter’s story is an encouraging one for women everywhere. She was bona fide “football widow” having lost her husband to the Euros in Summer 2012. To pass the time while her husband was watching the games, she tried her luck at online bingo.

After a £5 bet, she was astonished to win £1.3 million. It changed her family’s life forever and tasted extra sweet considering she was by no means a regular player. I suspect her husband bought a bigger television to watch the football.

Georgios M – £5.1 million

Greek businessman Georgios was just 36 when he won a staggering £5.1 million playing online bingo in 2009. He purposefully requested to maintain his anonymity after winning so little is known of how he spent his money. However, he was to hold the record for 3 years until something very special happened to Mr. Orchard of Lincolnshire.

John Orchard – £5.9 million

Last but certainly not least! Few of us can accurately imagine winning sums of money like this. We’re starting to talk about footballers’ transfer fees rather than our own bank account balances.

In a fittingly charming story back in 2012, 60-year-old Mr. Orchard was working at the Job Centre when he wagered just 30p on a whim. Remarkably, he won the jackpot and the rest is history. Mr. Orchard retired and now lives in a nice home in the Lincolnshire countryside.