The simple game has attracted scores of famous fans over the years…
It’s a resolutely working class past-time and has attracted its fair share of scorn over the years. But bingo has never put on airs and graces, never tried to pretend it’s something other than it is, and the same could be said for a number of its high-profile fans, most of them working class boys and girls made good.
Barbara Windsor, for instance. Not only is she a self-confessed bingo lover, Babs is now the face of one of the web’s most popular bingo sites Jackpotjoy. She has been crowned the Queen of Bingo (you can see her unveiling below) in a string of successful, quirky commercials.
Head east from Windsor’s birthplace in Shoreditch and you will eventually get to Basildon, home of another blonde bombshell and Windsor’s heir apparent, Denise Van Outen. Denise has been a lifelong bingo fan, and regularly attends her local bingo halls in Essex. Another nineties lads-mag favourite, Katie Price (aka Jordan) is also known for trumpeting her love of the game in the gossip pages.
Other notable sponsors of online bingo sites include Keith Chegwin, who launched his very own Cheggers Bingo site, and Kerry Katona who fronts Bingos.
Another nouveau-riche, provincial child of the seventies, Robbie Williams, is known for throwing bingo parties at his luxury LA pad. Robbie likes nothing better than giving his celebrity friends an authentic slice of British culture (in between football matches). In 2007, he even hosted a fundraiser, Legendary Bingo, which counted Paris Hilton, Courtney Cox and Tori Spelling amongst the galaxy of stars taking part.
Kym Marsh, formerly of Hear’Say, came out as a bingo fan some years ago. She claimed it is her ‘favourite hobby’ and is developing a comedy-drama about bingo with actor husband Jack Ryder. Marsh said of the project, ‘we had an idea which we are just trying to get going now’.
Other bingo-loving stars include Paul Gascoine, Emma Bunton, Bono and Catherine Zeta-Jones. They’re all working class. They’re all fabulously successful. And they all love bingo. Hit up Jackpotjoy.com if you fancy chancing your arm, emulating the stars, and maybe even winning enough cash to bring you closer to the lifestyles of the rich and famous.
