Bingo! Rushden player calls house on £50,000 jackpot

A woman who called house at a Rushden bingo hall was stunned after being told she had won a £50,000 national jackpot.

Nurse practitioner Emma Wilkinson was at Flutters Bingo in College Street on August 13 when she landed the huge prize on the National Bingo Game.

The 57-year-old mum-of-two, will now share her winnings with her bingo buddies and her son.

She said: “I was stunned and still am!”

Emma, who was born in Wellingborough, first started playing bingo years ago with a friend in Kettering but when her friend moved away she stopped going. A new friendship years later with the assistant manager of the practice where she was working, Stacey, reignited her love of bingo. Stacey was a regular player who attended with her mother Janet and suggested that Emma join them. This quickly became a regular bingo group that also included Stacey’s sister Sheena, Emma’s daughter Annie and occasionally Emma’s son Josh and her husband of 33 years.

The group’s usual night for bingo is a Monday, but due to Emma’s work it was agreed that Saturday, August 13, would be bingo day and Stacey, Janet, and Sheena agreed to go. Son Josh was home visiting from university in Stafford, where he is training to be a nurse, and made a last minute decision to join them as Man United were playing so badly in a match that he couldn’t watch. Daughter Annie, also a nurse, was away on holiday.

Emma said: “We were all having a good time, focused on playing the National when I realised I only needed two numbers to win, 1 and 25. No sooner had I said the numbers I was waiting on than out they came. I had not been paying attention to exactly how many numbers had been called at that point and calmly made my claim. Suddenly Stacey starts getting all excited saying ‘you’ve won, you’ve won!’ I said ‘yes, I know’. To which she said, ‘no I mean you’ve ‘really’ won’.

“It was then that the caller confirmed my claim was valid and that my prize was a £50,000 jackpot.”

In true bingo style Emma has decided to share her jackpot prize equally with Stacey, Janet, Sheena and Josh, who will each receive £10,000.

She said: “We always share our winnings when at bingo and friendship is worth so much more than money, so I felt that this win should be no different. We will each get £10,000, which is a lovely treat and bonus to a night at bingo with friends.

"I know that Josh has already ordered a PlayStation5, something he has been dreaming of for a while, the others are thinking about holidays and I am planning a trip to New York with Annie – she has always wanted to go and as she wasn’t there on the night of the win it can be her treat. I am not sure yet what my husband and me will be doing, but a lovely holiday sounds great.”

She added: “We all really love playing at Flutters in Rushden. It’s not a big club, but everyone is so friendly and the staff all know your name – you always get a lovely welcome. On the night of the win everyone in the club was coming over and congratulating me and genuinely wishing me well. It was lovely.”

Harrison Ward, assistant manager at Flutters Bingo Rushden, said: “It was amazing to watch Emma’s reaction as she realised how much she had won on the National Bingo Game and great to see other players applaud and cheer the win. We are looking forward to celebrating with everyone at the club when we host a special cheque presentation. Flutters Bingo may not be the biggest club, but we are certainly one of the friendliest.”