Listen to this article:A man from Norwich is celebrating a £10,000 win jackpot prize by coming top in a head-to-head slots tournament organised by one of the UK’s biggest bingo operators Mecca.
Andrew Thorpe, a father of seven, won the prize after competing in a number of knockout games held at the Mecca Bingo club in Luton on May 18. He said he only entered the tournament for a “bit of fun” before going on to outperform the fifteen other finalists and claim his share of the £25,000 prize pool.
Following a “nail-biting” final, Thorpe was named the Mecca Bingo Slots Tournament 2024 winner and took home the top prize.
Speaking after his win, Thorpe said:
“The whole night was surreal, I expected to go out in the first round as I’m not usually that lucky! Just getting to the final was amazing but seeing my score at the end was a complete shock. I was absolutely buzzing and my heart was beating so fast. It’s such a lot of money to win!”
Robert Lee, head of MeccaBingo.com, celebrated the win and described the atmosphere in the club:
“We were delighted to welcome both seasoned slots players and newcomers at our first ever cross-channel Slots Tournament. It was great to see players from across the country come together to experience the joy of what Mecca has to offer – from slots to bingo! “The whole team extend their thanks to all that took part. A special thanks to our tournament sponsors, Blueprint Gaming and of course a huge congratulations to our Slots champion, Andrew. We look forward to hosting our next tournament very soon.”
This was Mecca Bingo’s first ever cross-channel slots tournament and the industry’s biggest-ever cross-channel event of its kind. It was sponsored by the leading UK slots developer Blueprint Gaming and it was the first time that Mecca brought together online bingo and retail players together to compete against each other.
Entrants took part in a number of qualifying rounds, both at Mecca’s website and at Mecca clubs. The final consisted of eight online players and eight from Mecca venues, who were invited to the grand final.
The competitors and their guests were welcomed to the bingo club with a drinks reception and then, over the course of the evening, they took part in a series of head-to-head knockout games. All finalists were guaranteed to win a share of the prize pool, and each finalist was given an additional chance to win by joining the evening’s main bingo session.
In the final round, each player completed 200 spins over the course of 20 minutes until one emerged as a winner.
The big winner Andrew Thorpe, was accompanied on the night by his wife Kim and the two have already planned to mark his victory with a big family celebration. Discussing his plans, the winner said:
“I rang my children as soon as I won – they didn’t believe it until I sent them a photo of me and the big cheque! I can’t wait to celebrate with them all. None of them have been on a plane before, so we’re going to splash out on a big family holiday abroad – possibly Spain or Greece! Thanks to everyone involved in the Slots Tournament. It was a fantastic evening, really well put together, we met some great people and the win was the icing on the cake!”
The other fifteen finalists will have been disappointed not to take home the top prize, but they were all rewarded with an overnight stay, goodie bags, a bottle of sparkling wine, and a free session of bingo at the Luton Mecca Bingo club the next day.
For those who think that they have what it takes to be crowned champion, Jack Lawson account manager at Blueprint Gaming, said that the company is looking forward to showcasing more of its portfolio at future events, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for the next tournament.
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