While nearly all bingo players in the UK will be familiar with the big names such as Mecca Bingo and Buzz Bingo, our Buzz Bingo review can help you to learn more about the establishment. There are, in fact, a number of smaller operators of bingo clubs. While they may not have the fame of the bigger chains, they still give players the chance to win serious sums of money.
For instance, a bingo player in Runcorn, Cheshire, is probably still celebrating after winning an impressive £8,846.26 playing at the Club 2000 Bingo Runcorn, which is located in the Trident Retail Park.
The player won the huge prize after achieving a full house in an evening session on Sunday, 21 January.
While the Club 2000 Bingo Runcorn venue may not be very well known, it is clearly a thriving bingo community. A quick glance at the venue’s schedule reveals that there is a huge amount going on.
For instance, on Monday, 22 January, during the afternoon, there was a Big Money Special game with six £60 prizes, three £100 prizes, and one £250 prize with books costing £3 and Bees £6. Then, in the evening, there was the chance to receive 30 free tickets on a bee and ten prizes of £100 up for grabs.
Tuesday afternoon brought with it nine prizes of £50 and a £100 prize with books costing £2 and Bees £5. In the evening, there were an impressive ten £222 house prizes, with houses double if called on a 2 or 22. Books cost £3 and Bees £6. Moreover, there were £2 meals and £2 pints to enjoy, a true bargain!
The action just continues with something to look forward to every day. Wednesday brought with it the chance to win 12 free tickets as well as nine £50 prizes and one £100 prize.
Club 2000 Bingo also has a venue in Bradford where there is a similarly impressive promotional schedule and games taking place seven days a week.
Club 2000 Bingo is certainly one of the smaller operators in the UK, but when you look beyond Mecca Bingo and Buzz Bingo, the undisputed leaders, there are several truly impressive small operations.
For instance, Castle Bingo operates 11 clubs across the UK in locations such as New Canton, Morriston, Newport Road, Corby and Bootle. The clubs host ten bingo sessions each day with plenty of chances to win big, including from the National Bingo Game. Earlier this month, a player at the Castle Bingo New Canton Venue won £4,000 playing the Super 45 Winner game. Prior to that, a player at the same venue won £6,500 in the National Live game just before the New Year.
Another example is Merkur Bingo, which operates three clubs in Cricklewood, Lowestoft, and Northampton. The operator’s history dates right back to 1963, when Bacon Bingo was founded by Jimmy Thomas. The company grew over the following decades and in 2021, it was renamed to Merkur Bingo. One standout moment in the company’s history is when a player won £100 000 at the Cricklewood bingo club, which set the world record for the highest payout in a single game of bingo.
There are many more such operators, which provide communities with a high-quality experience day after day and it is this that helped to make bingo such a vital part of British culture. Today, this same spirit can be found at a huge number of online bingo sites. Online bingo players have a wonderful amount of choice, from large networks to smaller independent sites.
There are several large bingo networks, such as those run by Playtech, Relax Gaming, Play’n GO and so on. Still, there are also a number of much smaller networks, such as Aberrant Bingo, providing players with high-quality alternatives and the chance to win big prizes, similar to the recent win by a customer at Club 2000 Bingo Runcorn.