If you look up at the moon tonight, you might just spot the shadow of Sam Smitherman – because he’s jumping over it!
Sam was the recent winner of a whopping £50,000 jackpot at Mecca Bingo Acocks Green in Birmingham. After realising he’d won, he skipped the celebratory pint at the club for a cuppa and biscuits in bed!
Let’s find out about the moment he realised he’d won, what he’s planning to do with his winnings, and more.
- The Win As It Happened
- A Deposit For a First Home
- Bingo Is For the Younger Generation Too
- And Finally, a Word from Mecca
The Win As It Happened
On Wednesday 6 August 2025, Sam from Wythall, and his partner Bethany, were at the Mecca Bingo club on Stockfield Road celebrating a midweek family birthday. After a cheeky £10 win earlier in the night, they could have called it a night, but they stayed on for the National Bingo Game (a national game played at all Mecca Clubs twice a day, every day, 364 days a year, with jackpot prizes of up to £50,000).
It was during this game that Sam’s numbers came in within the first 16 calls, winning him the ‘full house’ giant £50,000 jackpot. Sam might want to get his ears checked, as he initially misheard and thought he’d won £15,000 but within a few minutes, he realised he’d scooped the jackpot. Amidst confetti cannons and huge cheers, the realisation began to sink in.
“It didn’t feel real! We only ever go to the bingo for a bit of fun, and the most I’ve won is about £90. When they told me it was £50,000, I was in complete shock.”
Stunned with disbelief, the couple skipped a celebratory drink and went straight home for a cuppa and biscuits in bed.
“I still had to be up early the next morning for work and to take my daughter to nursery, so I just went home, called my parents and had a cup of tea and biscuits in bed! It hadn’t sunk in – I felt like I was in a dream!’’
A Deposit For A First Home
Thirty-one-year-old happy chappy Sam and partner Bethany rent a small flat with their one-year-old daughter. They said they would be putting their win toward a deposit for their first home.
“We’ve been saving for a while – our flat just isn’t big enough and we don’t have a garden,’’ Sam said. “The thought of having a proper family home, with outside space and a playroom for our daughter, feels incredible.’’
How fantastic that Sam and family can spend their jackpot on something so meaningful!
Bingo Is For the Younger Generation Too
With its reputation as a heritage pastime, it’s jackpot news like this that draws younger players to the game, whether it’s land-based or online bingo. Mecca reports that players aged 35 and under made up 44% of new members in the first half of 2025. We know why people love bingo: the atmosphere, the social side, the great facilities, and the chance for a huge win and we’re happy to see the trend reflecting that.
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* Bingo’s Youth Revolution: Millennials Reshape the Game in the UK
And Finally, a Word from Mecca
Michelle Duffy, assistant manager at the winning club in Acocks Green Birmingham, was making the bingo calls at the precise moment of the win and she couldn’t be happier for Sam and Bethany.
“I was calling my first game of the night, when my board started flashing and I heard Sam shout to show that he’d got a full house. When I realised that his claim had happened on the 16th number – my heart was pounding!
“When I told Sam he’d won £50,000, he thought I’d said £15,000. When the real amount sank in, his partner burst into tears and the whole club exploded with clapping and cheering. We had confetti cannons going off and people lining up outside to congratulate him. Sam was so stunned he even turned down a celebratory drink! It was pure magic, and it couldn’t have happened to a nicer couple.”
From the whole team at WhichBingo, way to go, Sam!
Find out more about Mecca Clubs and discover a whole new way to bingo.
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