It’s estimated that there are over three million bingo players across the United Kingdom alone – both in bingo halls, as well as on online sites. Originating in crowded bingo halls, the game has evolved into the most immersive social game, with online bingo sites dishing out prizes as ever-increasing numbers of players sign up to enjoy it. As you all have probably heard about – and played – bingo, we won’t bother you with rules and regulations about the game. Instead, we’d like to tell you a few interesting facts you probably didn’t know about bingo.

● According to some calculations, there are actually 552,446,474,061,128,648,601,600,000 possible number arrangements in one bingo card.

● The first bingo game was played in Italy in the early 1530. It was called “Lo Giuoco del Lotto D’Italia” and it is still being played until today.

● According to resources, 96% of regular bingo players have won the jackpot prize at least once.

● One of the most interesting things about traditional bingo halls in the United Kingdom are the numbers’ nicknames. The announcer might talk about a duck or suggest the audience have a cup of tea, while the players mark their boards and sometimes call back. Here are some of the most interesting ones: Kelly’s Eye (1), Cup of Tea (3), Lucky Seven (7), Doctor’s Orders (9), Dancing Queen (17).

● In 2010, online bingo has accumulated $640 Million and about 50% of it came from UK alone.

● The earliest known online bingo game was launched in 1996 with the title “Bingo Zone.” It was followed by “Bingo Blitz” in 1998.

● Thanks to the chat features in online bingo sites, about 47% of the players have said they were able to form a new circle of friends.

OK, enough with the statistics. You all probably want to know something about bingo winners, right? Well, here’s the biggest bingo prize ever won:

£5.9 Million

Back in December 2012, devoted grandfather and former factory worker John Orchard’s days were simple and quiet. He was helping others find work in the Job Centre in Lincolnshire. One day, however, the 60-year-old man decided to wager just 30p at an online bingo site. Little did he know he would become the world’s biggest online winner of all time. To his absolute shock, Orchard won £5.9 million and his long-held dreams of fame and fortune were suddenly reality.

The first thing he did was trading his Renault Clio in for a £40,000 Jaguar XF. Then, he booked a massive family holiday to Center Parcs and started buying expensive Christmas presents for his friends and relatives. Following his massive win, Orchard stated:

“I just couldn’t believe I’d won it. This will change my life completely. I was looking at working for another five years at the Jobcentre – but not any longer.”

Instead, Orchard and his wife bought a brand new house in Lincolnshire and retired happily.

In the virtual realm, the largest recorded winning in online bingo is £430,900 which seems kind of shy compared to John’s sum, but it’s still a huge win.

Whether you prefer traditional, land-based bingo or would rather play online, the chance to win big at bingo is there. The most interesting thing about bingo winners is their generosity, with lots of examples of people who chose to either split their winnings with their bingo partner or spending their fortune on close family and friends. We like to think that we’d do the same. How about you? Would you spend the money on yourself only, treat your loved ones, or maybe invest them all in something?