Bride Wins Big
A bride has won £22,500 playing bingo just two weeks after she got married. Debbie Jolley, who is 22 and from Wigan, had been living in Australia for a year, and moved back to the UK shortly after marrying her Australian partner.
Her mother plays at the Gala bingo club in Robin Park, Wigan, and Debbie decided to go along with her one afternoon for a bit of fun. Although she herself is a seasoned bingo player, she had no idea that she would later emerge a whole lot richer.
The National Bingo prize for the afternoon session stood at £45,000. Debbie achieved a full house in 47 numbers, but so did a player in Manchester. This meant that the prize was split between them, giving each a win of £22,500. Debbie also won the house prize of £30.
Debbie was naturally thrilled with the win, but emotional too. “I cried when I realised how much I had won this time,” she said. “My mum was talking to a friend on the other side of the club when it was announced, so she came running over to me and gave me a big hug. It’s fantastic.”
Debbie works as a registrar of births, marriages and deaths, and is no stranger to bingo, having played her first game two years ago. It was back in her early days as a bingo player that she won £2,000 at the same Gala club, and she currently plays a few times each week.
Having tied the knot just two weeks before this much bigger win, the windfall could not have come at a better time. “This is such a good start to married life,” Debbie said. “My mum and I have an agreement to share any winnings 50/50 so I will be using my share as a deposit on a house and possibly a new car.”
21st November 2007
Article Last Updated: 08/02/2008 16:26:35
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