As the internet continues to expand the game of bingo all around the globe, more players are taking to online bingo halls than ever before. While the internet has helped transform bingo into a very modern game, it’s far from a recent pastime, dating all the way back to 16th Century Italy.
Bingo’s simple gameplay (like at BingoVega.com), the promise of cash prizes, and the game’s fun, social aspect has seen the game go through huge surges in popularity over the years, setting some impressive world records along the way. These world records have been set far and wide, all over the world, testament to the game’s unique ability to translate not just across geographical and cultural boundaries, but across technological boundaries too.
The Fastest Full House Ever
Britain is one of the biggest bingo-ing nations in the world, with over 3.5 million regular players, so it’s only fitting that the UK should be home to at least one of the world records set by its favourite pastime. 24-year old Darryl Howe from Gloucestershire managed to scoop a staggering full house in January 2010 in an online game – his first ever game of bingo!
Just 40 minutes after opening his account he landed a full house, and the €18,000 jackpot, on a 90-ball bingo game. His fellow players were stunned by the speed of his win, where his 15-number full house came after just 23 calls. The odds of scoring a full house within 23 calls in a 90-ball game is an amazing 96 billion to one!
The Biggest Ever Online Bingo Game
Britain was also home to the biggest ever online game record until very recently, not through the nation’s leading online bingo site Jackpotjoy, but through a nationally televised free bingo game that took place in 2008. Since then however, their record of has been officially smashed by a group of online players in Japan. On 3 September 2010, 493,824 members of Coca-Cola Park took part in what remains the largest online bingo game in history, which was organized by Coca-Cola in Tokyo, Japan.
The Biggest Ever Bingo Game
When the San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino broke the world record for the largest game of bingo in 2006, even the Guinness Book of World Records thought it was a record that would stand the test of time. Smashing the previous record of 15,756 players by over 30,000, with a total player attendance at Los Angeles Dodgers Stadium of over 53,000, Guinness World Records proclaimed,
“The final attendance count of 53,991 places this record in our top 20 mass participation records of all time, and will undoubtedly remain unchallenged for quite a while to come.”
The world’s biggest bingo game at Los Angeles Dodgers Stadium; courtesy of Malingering
What the casino wasn’t counting on was that an even more impressive attempt would take place the same year in Columbia. Organised by major shopping chain Exito, a staggering 70,080 participants took place in what remains the largest bingo game in history in Bogotá, Colombia on 2 December 2006. Over $250,000 in cash prizes were handed out to winners, as well as holiday and apartment giveaways, as well as vouchers to spend in Exito stores.
The Biggest Ever In-House Bingo Win
Back to Britain for this record! The biggest ever in-house bingo win was taken home by one very lucky Christine Bradfield at her local club in Merthyr Tydfil in Wales in January 2008. Christine walked away a jaw-dropping £1,101,686 richer that night!
The Biggest Ever UK Online Bingo Win
But you don’t need to leave home to win a life-changing sum at bingo these days. The world record for the largest ever online bingo win was set in February 2012 by Gill from Nottingham. Playing Bejeweled Bingo at Jackpotjoy for just a 25p ticket, Gill won an amazing £510,049.26 at the site!