UK gambling has seen some eye-watering jackpot wins. Whether it’s a quick lottery ticket or a weekly bingo night, tales of massive prizes keep punters hooked. While luck is never guaranteed, the lure of life-changing cash keeps the dream alive. Here’s a rundown of the biggest jackpot scoops in UK history.
UK’s Record-Breaking Lottery Jackpot
The UK’s largest lottery jackpot hit a staggering £195 million in July 2022, courtesy of the EuroMillions. The mystery winner matched the numbers 6, 23, 27, 40, 41 and Lucky Stars 2 and 12 on a Tuesday draw, but chose to stay anonymous. The biggest publicly known winners are Joe and Jess Thwaite from Gloucester, who bagged £184 million earlier that same year. So far, fifteen lucky players have bagged more than £100 million playing EuroMillions alone.
The Massive Slot Game Jackpot
Jon Heywood from Heywood holds the UK’s biggest slot win. Back in 2015, he risked just 25p on the progressive jackpot Mega Moolah and scooped a jaw-dropping £13.2 million. A down-to-earth ex-soldier, Jon kept his win hush-hush for three days and even went back to work the next day. Mega Moolah jackpots build with every spin, and Jon’s record smash eclipsed a previous Finnish winner’s €18 million haul. His plans? A Bentley, a family cruise, and covering his father’s medical bills.
Bingo’s Biggest Cash Payouts
The biggest online bingo win belongs to John Orchard, a 60-year-old grandfather. He scooped a whopping £5.9 million after depositing just 30p on the game. John, who worked at Jobcentre.co.uk, used the fortune to jet off to visit his granddaughter in Canada and treat himself to a Jaguar. Meanwhile, the largest physical bingo hall jackpot was won by Soraya Lowell from Scotland in 2008. She took home £1.2 million during a night out, sharing the celebration with her neighbour.
