KAREN Winstone's dream of joining the high rollers of Las Vegas has been put on hold after she finished second in the regional finals of a bingo caller of the year contest.
Mother-of-two Karen, who shouts out the numbers at Walkers Bingo Club, in Selby, impressed the judges with her bubbly personality and clear calling voice at yesterday's north of England finals, in Manchester.
But she just missed out on a place in the national finals, in London, where first prize is a trip to Los Angeles, including calling a bingo game in a Las Vegas casino. Karen, of Flaxley Court, Selby, was pipped at the post but, undeterred, she plans to enter the competition next year.
She said today: "I did OK and really enjoyed the day. The judges told me to come back next year because it was so close between me and the winner."
Karen has worked at Walkers Bingo Club, in Selby, for two years and was nominated by her manager, Francis Gillard, who described her as a "great ambassador" for the bingo industry.
Updated: 14:30 Friday, September 27, 2002
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