On 11th September, the popular TOWIE star hosted the first ever PlayOJO live bingo event at Manchester’s EventCity, and she certainly got the party started straight away with a bang. The special drive-in event was attended by 200 lucky PlayOJO fans who could participate from their cars, and it also featured appearances from Mr Motivator and East 17 throughout the night too.
Thousands of OJO players also streamed the event online as well, and they managed to join in the fun from the comfort of their own homes. Gemma hosted several bingo games which were played both at the drive-in and online over the course of the evening, and it definitely seemed like a night to remember for all involved – ‘GC’ style of course.
It was announced in August 2020, that the popular casino brand PlayOJO – were to launch their very own new online bingo site. The main aim of the the brand is to offer fair gaming for all, and it’s something that’s transferred over to their bingo site brilliantly. To make the launch even more special and mark the occasion in these slightly odd times too, they managed to get the ever famous ‘GC’ onboard to help – albeit socially distanced.
OJO What A Night
To begin the evening in true OJO style, the lucky 200 VIP OJO er’s who won tickets to the event were greeted by 90’s legend Mr Motivator. Cool right?
The fun fitness guru posed for selfies as players parked their cars, and he warmed up the crowd with a high energy workout.
Next up, Gemma Collins made her grand entrance, and fans say she got stuck right in with calling the bingo games no problem. She took control of the bingo machine and entertained the crowd brilliantly, in what was apparently her first ever go at calling the balls.
According to PlayOJO, the ‘car-ticipants’ lapped it up, and the winners filled up there car boots with prizes ranging from books and popcorn makers, to tablets, gadgets and HD TV’s. Without the current social distancing guidelines in place I imagine the event would have been produced on a much larger scale, but it seemed just the right way to launch the site safely.
The evening wrapped up with a turn on the decks by Gemma, followed by a performance from 90’s boyband, East 17. Gemma got involved in their set with a socially distanced dance off, and the night ended with a joint storming rendition of the bands song, ‘Woman Trouble’. You can catch a clip of the hilarious sing-off HERE.
Could Drive-In Bingo Be The Next Big Thing?
Since the closure of UK bingo halls over the summer due to the recent pandemic, we’ve seen a variety of fun ways that people have still managed to keep playing bingo.
It’s such a social game that is fairly simple to play, and I think it’s really bought people together during the recent months.
We’ve seen the following variations over the summer:
- Live Streamed Bingo Events
- Zoom Family Bingo Games
- Care-Home Socially Distanced Bingo
- Roof Terrace Bingo
And now to top things off, we’ve also got drive-in bingo too. Could we see more of these types of events now moving forward? It does offer a night out that still feels safe, and the events can also be streamed online for everyone to get involved.
I imagine that bingo companies will be brainstorming as many ways possible now to keep live bingo going for the younger generation, so maybe drive-in bingo could be the new night out. Watch this space – or parking space should I say…sorry couldn’t resist, ha.