Working mom wins BingoPlus’ jackpot prize: P312M
Last Christmas, a working mom of three was preparing to go to bed alone when she thought of opening in her mobile phone the digital entertainment app BingoPlus to play a color game. It was her favorite among the wide array of games available on the platform created by AB Leisure Exponent, Inc. (ABLE) and powered by the digital gaming company DigiPlus.
Aside from bingo, the main attraction, there are other popular Pinoy card games such as pusoy and tongits, plus poker, minesweeper, gold mines slots, and many others. The color game was tops for the gaming enthusiast-mom as she enjoyed predicting—or manifesting, as she called it—which colors would appear when the dice were rolled.
After using up P200 for her total bets, Mary Ann (not her real name) decided to end the session by taking the bonus spin that came with the points she earned for her spending. Then the jackpot prize popped up on her screen: P312,260,745.91.
“I couldn’t breathe at that time,” the instant multimillionaire said in Filipino.
Mary Ann, who hails from a province in Luzon, recalled having conflicting feelings. She wanted to express her surprise and excitement and scream, “Yes, I won!” But she also did not want to arouse her neighbors’ curiosity. She resolved to share her secret only with her husband.
“Until now, I still can’t believe it,” she said of winning the jackpot, adding that being on stage during the awarding ceremony stunned her even more. She felt like she was floating while ABLE president Jasper Vicencio handed over the oversized presentation check.
Vicencio declared that his team aims to “continuously wow our players, patrons, and the rest of the people as we grow the company with more entertaining platform content.” The company also supports efforts toward education and disaster resilience through its foundation.
Thoughtful planning
Mary Ann said she looks forward to taking the financial literary program that BingoPlus’ operators offer in line with their advocacy of responsible gaming.
“I think it’s very important, like now, since winning the jackpot hasn’t sunk in,” she explained. “It’s good to have a financial adviser who will give me an idea how to start making plans.”
She admitted to not having any concrete plans on what to do with her winnings, though her priorities are building a house for her family and giving her children the best education. She’s also determined to quit her job at a printing company to focus her attention on her children.
“Parents are really like that,” she pointed out. “We don’t think of what we want. We only want our children to have better lives.”
She turned pensive when asked what her winning the jackpot meant to her: “I wasn’t born rich. In this world we live in, if you don’t have money, you are looked down upon. If you don’t have money, you’re a nobody.”
Looking back on her family’s past struggles, she added, “I’m not angry at those who insulted us. As I always say, God is so good. God answered my prayers through BingoPlus.”
She said she’s open to helping beyond her family when the right time comes. “These days, whether you share your blessings or not, you don’t know how it will affect the way people think of you. Actually, we don’t know who are the ones true to us.”
The lucky one
Using her win as an example, Mary Ann affirmed that “suwerte,” or luck, is real. “It just happened to me. This is it! The problem with people is they give up easily. As they say, if good luck is for you, then it’s really for you.”
But the instant multimillionaire doesn’t believe in having a lucky day, color, and the like. She pointed out, “It’s just about waiting for your luck and being patient.”
To those who would like to try their luck at gaming, her advice is to not get angry when losing. Keep on playing, but “bet responsibly.” She, for one, only plays when she has extra funds. She also knows when to stop, so she doesn’t end up spending a lot of money on her favorite online game.
“I’m also the type who doesn’t give up easily,” she said. “When I lose, I just try again. I will not give up, but I will remain responsible.”
Looking back on that lucky Christmas day, Mary Ann remarked that she didn’t really wish for something grand. But what she got gave her the merriest Christmas and the happiest New Year yet.
“I hope this good luck will go on,” she said. “As they say, those with good intentions are blessed in so many ways. If luck didn’t come my way then, it eventually did now.”
