It was perfectly timed for Stevenage resident, Phil Bacon.
The 35-year-old manual and delivery operator is a regular at his local Mecca Bingo hall, but his last visit was anything but routine, as he found himself fortunate enough to claim a £50,000 jackpot.
This would have been a pretty good day at the bingo for anyone at any time of their lives, but coming just weeks before Phil’s upcoming wedding to his fiancée, Cara-Jane Pallett, it was the icing on the wedding cake.
The unexpected windfall promises to provide a memorable start to their married life, and they will be driving away on their wedding day in a brand-new car Phil has already splashed out on.
Oh and guess what?
The big win happened on April Fool’s day! I bet he was sat there wondering if it was real life or a prank.
A Full House in 16 Numbers or Less
The game in question was the big one, The National Game, in which the £50k prize is won if someone gets a full house in 16 numbers or less.
Phil knew he was doing well as his numbers kept coming up, and initially thought he might be on for a win of a few hundred pounds.
He wasn’t keeping track of the number of calls, so as he excitedly watched his numbers being marked off he had no idea what was about to happen to him.
Speaking about his win after the event, Phil said:
“I couldn’t believe it when I won the jackpot. I never expected to win such a huge amount of money, and I’m still in shock.”
“I’ve been visiting Mecca Bingo for a while now and it’s always a great night out, but this is something else. I feel amazing!”
The club were happy for him too – let’s face it, bingo hall staff get to know their customers so it must be nice to see a familiar face taking home a big jackpot.
Mecca Bingo Stevenage’s general manager, Tim Perry, said:
“Not only is Phil good at matching numbers, but he’s also met his match, and we couldn’t be more excited for the happy couple as they plan their wedding.”
Hey, now that Mecca Bingo have a license to carry out weddings, maybe they could even tie the knot at the bingo hall where the big win happened?
Ok, so maybe that’s not everybody’s cup of tea, but it’s a neat thought!