It reads like a fairy tale. Jo Collins, a 52-year-old mother of three and Special Needs School driver, had logged on to play online bingo at Gala Bingo just five days before winning over 162,000 pounds sterling. The win is widely regarded to be the largest ever received by an online bingo player, surpassing an earlier record of 130,000 pounds.
Dominic Harrison, Gala Coral’s electronic commerce managing director, said Gala Bingo was “delighted” by the win which comes just as the online gaming firm launches a publicity campaign for its new-look bingo website. 
Jo Collins says she was visiting her daughter Melanie when she realized she’d won a substantial prize. “We just went mad and danced around,” she recalls. “When I told my husband Mervyn he thought I’d picked up 160o pounds. You should have heard him when I explained that I had won over 160,000!"
Despite her excitement, the Meals on Wheels volunteer is adamant that her winnings won’t goad her into making drastic changes in life. “I’m going to carry on with my driving job,” she says. “The Special Needs kids rely on people like me to get them to school."
When asked on what she plans to do with her winnings, Jo Collins says that she intends to pay off her mortgage and car loan. But what about travel plans? "I’m going to go out to Australia to see the long-lost friends who introduced me to my husband,” she says. “I have three grown up children and ten grandchildren and we are going to have a great party."

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