Robbie Williams has a guilty secret. Having entered a Hollywood bingo competition not too long ago, Stoke-on-Trent’s most famous celebrity found himself winning a leopard-skin handbag, and ended the night by donating a great deal of money to Breast Cancer Research.
Now often playing bingo to raise money for a variety of good causes, it's rumoured that – along with many bingo fans – the Rock DJ singer favours 90-ball bingo.
In fact, earlier this year Robbie posted an image on his blog of fellow Take Thatter Gary Barlow calling bingo at someone’s house. Is it possible that the Take That boys aren’t half as rock ’n’ roll as they used to be? Are they playing bingo on the tour bus rather than having parties?
It’s fair to say that among this group of celebrity bingo fans there are some who are more obvious than others.
We can easily picture Sharon Osbourne or Denise Van Outen sitting down for a game of bingo – and let’s not forget Barbara Windsor, who recently starred in the Jackpotjoy TV adverts.
Then there's Ricky Tomlinson, who released The Bingo Song in 2007 to celebrate his love of the game. There are, however, some celebrity bingo players who you would perhaps never guess.
Hollywood actor Russell Crowe used to work as a bingo caller before his rise to fame, and was reportedly sacked for making up his own (less than polite) bingo calls – hilarious!
There are even reports of royals playing bingo – Prince William is said to enjoy the game and, seeing as how Barack Obama is a fan, it has been speculated that the Prince and the US President played together in Buckingham Palace during his recent visit to the UK.
Last, but by no means least, Paris Hilton has appeared more than a few times at charity bingo games, alongside other Tinseltown names such as Daryl Hannah and Courteney Cox. Keen to shake off its rather dated reputation, bingo has become a swanky affair, and there have been several large celebrity bingo events (often for charity) held over recent years. Players at past events have included DJs Chris Moyles and Sara Cox, and even Katie Price.
One of the most popular online gaming communities Jackpotjoy offers members a wide range of games (many with progressive jackpots), including slots, scratchcards and online casino games – as well as Robbie’s favourite, bingo.
A good game to play if you’re looking to scoop a big win is Tycoon Progressive. However, there are many other progressive jackpots available on Jackpotjoy, including a huge Deal Or No Deal progressive jackpot that stands at over half a million pounds.
Other games, such as Sapphire 90-ball bingo, Tiki Temple and Bullion Bonanza, have progressive jackpots in excess of £10,000, which could be enough to give you the celebrity lifestyle you’ve always wanted.
With such amazing cash prizes on offer, it’s easy to see why so many people love to play bingo and other games online. Aside from the money you can win, there is also great fun to be had. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the case of bingo, which Catherine Zeta Jones enjoys so much she plays it with her family every Christmas.