Many people enjoy playing at online bingo sites multiple times a week, but perhaps not quite so much as Ellie Scales, a 24-year-old influencer who enjoys playing bingo up to 14 times a week. Ellie says that her love of the game has seen her win £7,000 in under a year and that she is not concerned about people claiming that she is “addicted”.
Ellie first went with a group of friends for a night out at the bingo and had no idea that it would soon become a truly lucrative hobby. Soon, Ellie started going to play every afternoon and evening, and her largest single win to date was £1,500.
The influencer has taken to sharing her luck on TikTok and one of her clips has attracted an impressive 7.2 million views and more than 560,000 likes. However, some of her loyal fans have begun to express concerns over the habit.
Speaking recently, Scales said:
“People will say it’s a gambling addiction, but I can easily not go. I’m financially stable and I find it fun, as I love going with my friends. It’s a [great] way to get together and have a laugh. They have limits there and let you know how much you’ve spent – but I’d never go over the top, I’m not silly.”
In one of her most popular clips, Ellie shows viewers a money pot and hammer before claiming that she “wins all the f****** time”. She explains that she puts her winnings in the jar and that she has had such a successful few months that the jar is now full and she is unable to fit any more money in.
Ellie then starts hitting the jar with a hammer before it shatters into pieces and a large number of £5, £10 and £20 notes can be seen spilling out onto her bed. She then laughs, saying that it will take her hours to count. However, in a later clip, she reveals that the amount was £2,600 (more than enough to replace the bed sheets she had just covered with shards of ceramic).
Ellie says that she initially hated the game as she found it hard to keep track of the numbers and locate them on her cards. However, she says that from her second time playing, she was hooked and hasn’t missed a week since December 2022.
“[I love] the money, the thrill of winning and it’s just something to do – it’s quite relaxing as well. I go every afternoon and evening with my dad mainly, my friends, or sometimes alone. All the staff are my friends now and they’re so lovely. The old ladies seem to hate me, as I’m taking all the winnings.”
Ellie says that she has not been tracking her bingo spending but believes that her winnings more than justify the expense. She claims to have used her winnings to pay for three holidays, shopping sprees, and put money aside into her savings. She added that she regularly gets excited thinking about what she will be spending her next winnings on.
Ellie has close to 400,000 followers on TikTok and she said that her followers have started tagging their friends and suggesting they start going to the bingo.
“I think it’s been a good reaction, some bad comments, but that happens with anything on social media. Put positive affirmations into the universe and tell yourself you’re going to win. Have your game face on and manifest the money. You’ve got to be in it to win it.”
Bingo popularity among youngsters has grown through the last years and if influencers such as Ellie start encouraging them, it could lead to a wave of new players. However, it would probably be best if Ellie started encouraging a few responsible gambling practices, such as budgeting, or even encouraging followers to play online bingo, where safer gambling tools are readily at hand.
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