Play Bingo in Carlisle

If you want to know which bingo hall seems to have the most winners – it sounds like Opera Bingo in Denton Holme near Carlisle is the place to be!

The popular bingo hall has seen 8 of its members scoop jackpots in just the first few weeks, after joining around 330 other halls to play the new National Live game.

The amounts won have ranged from just over £3,200 to more than £18,580!

The National Live game is played twice a day – in the afternoon and evening. It costs players £1 each time.

Neil Graham, manager of the Opera bingo hall in Denton Street, said: “We are doing very well; we tend to see members do well here. We have a lot of winners across the years in Carlisle and in West Cumbria. We punch above our weight.”

Many travel long distance to come and play at the bingo hall – Penrith, Haltwhistle and Dumfries being common original destinations for Opera Bingo hall players.

Even celebrities have been known to make appearances, with DJs Greg James and Chris Moyles having been called in for games at the hall.

Irene Hopkinson, 62, has been travelling from Haydon Bridge to the hall since the summer.

“I’ve had one or two shouts, but nothing major. It seemed the wins came quite quickly recently, but then it can go for weeks and weeks and no one shouts. It’s just the luck of it.”

Miles Baron is the chief executive of the National Bingo Game Association, which works with bingo operators across the country to deliver the nationwide game.

He said: “Opera in Carlisle hasn’t won the most times. That goes to one of the chains, Gala or Mecca, because of the number of clubs they have.

“But proportionately, on the size of the Opera group in comparison to others of its size, it has won more times than anyone else.”

He added: “I know every club in the country and I know Carlisle, it is an incredibly friendly club with a great atmosphere. It is brilliant to know they and their members are winning these amounts of money.”