Meet The Presenters of Our Iconic Live Shows

How did you become a live show presenter? 

Well, after nearly ten years working in the Jackpotjoy chat rooms as a chat host, I was asked if I'd like to have a go at hosting one of the live shows. I couldn't believe it! I stood in front of the cameras, and it made my day. It still does.  

What's your favourite part of being a presenter at Jackpotjoy? 

It's cheesy but it's the humanity part. I love connecting with the players. When you get to stand there and tell someone that they've just won £500 and they're celebrating - it's real and raw. You get to celebrate with them and they can see your joy at creating winners. Chat games are amazing, but live show games are even more amazing.  

Are all live shows the same? 

Not at all! We've got so many different shows offering different things. I group them all into two groups: There's the shows like Chat AM, which are like a typical morning chat show and see you just sitting there nattering with the audience about random things like the latest news or what’s on everyone's minds, and then there's the game shows.  

The game shows are a bit of classic Saturday night telly entertainment, where you do things like spin wheels and throw in some jeopardy to create big money winners. Those shows make me feel a bit like Steven Mulhern!

How would the viewers describe your personality on-screen? 

They think I’m crazy, chaotic and random. Whatever's on my mind comes out. Something will pop into my head and and I'll just start chatting to the audience about it. I quite like surprising other presenters during their shows too – I'll just pop up on camera and join in the fun. 

I know I'm chaotic, but it's fun and it’s genuinely just me up there on stage. What you see is what you get! 

What's a fun fact about you? 

I am the very proud owner of a Tom Hardy signature. My stepfather is in the Royal Marines, and Tom was researching Bane for The Dark Knight, so he was there to learn combat and I went down with – what I thought was – my Dark Knight DVD. But I'd picked up the wrong DVD, so now I have a Legally Blonde DVD at home signed by Tom Hardy. 

Could you tell us your favourite games to play at Jackpotjoy? 

Sapphire Bingo and Tiki Totems. Sapphire is just the best bingo room around; the blue colour, the people playing, the promotions all make it the beating heart of Jackpotjoy in my opinion. 

Then there's Tiki Totems. I play a lot of video games, and I've always enjoyed the animations in Tiki. They're bright, crisp and clean with a fun monkey, fox and other animals popping up.  

Meet... Fred 

How long have you been presenting our live shows? 

This year is my 10th anniversary as a live show presenter here. In fact, I'm one of the first ever presenters to host a live show here. You could say I’m the OG. 

Are all the presenters similar? 

Not at all. Everyone’s got their own 'flavour' and style of doing things - that's part of the reason we've built up such a big community at Jackpotjoy. There's someone for everyone to find entertaining.

Who's your favourite presenter at Jackpotjoy? 

Oh, that's a big question! If I'm at home, then I'll tune in to anything that Arnie's on because he's ace. Anything he's on will be good. But Otis is by far the funniest man I've ever clapped eyes on. He's honestly hysterical. Watch a show featuring Otis and I guarantee you won't be able to keep a straight face, because the man is just comedy. 

How would members describe you? 

I seem to have a reputation as the 'dad of chat'. Mainly because I've been here so long and apparently I've got this voice that sounds like a comforting old man. I'm only 45 years old but they make out like I'm 80!  

Members definitely see me as the old-timer around here. If they've got a question, then they'll come to find me in chat or pop me a message during the show. 

Do you have any of your own shows at Jackpotjoy? 

I have my own show that rolls out around Christmas time, which is based on 'Fred’s Doodles'. See, I like to draw funny little cartoon sketches that are based on catch phrases and the audience thought they were so good that we made them into special shows!  

I've always liked drawing. In fact, my GCSE Art teacher told me that if there was a GCSE exam for doodling, then I would get an A. There wasn't, but now thousands of players get to enjoy my doodles anyway. We even put them on a calendar once and I still get messages from players that have kept theirs on their kitchen fridges. 

Why did you decide to become a presenter? 

Working with people has been something I've always loved. I've done all sorts of jobs in my life. From being an operating nurse, to building diggers, to DJing. I used to run pubs with my wife, where I'd host loads of quizzes. So, I was used to standing up in front of loads of people with a microphone. When my wife saw Jackpotjoy wanted hosts, she said I had to apply. And here I am, having a blast.
 

Meet... Ava 

What's a fun fact about you? 

I've got my own group of Jackpotjoy members that watch the shows, who are called the 'Ava-ries'. They like to joke that my fans and we have a good laugh. 

What is it like presenting a live show at Jackpotjoy? 

It's honestly so much fun. It's real, it's live and there's hundreds of people all there to watch and have fun. Everyone is so nice and hilarious – you really do belly laugh while on the shows, whether you're in front of the camera or behind! Honestly, it's just amazing. 

What happens on the live shows? 

All sorts! We run lots of challenges, which the presenters have to take on to win prizes for the audience. For example, last Friday, I ended up being blindfolded and fishing around in boxes of things like cold porridge to pull out prizes. That felt like I was on I'm a Celeb!  

There are challenges that pit presenters against each other too, so the audience get to pick who they want to back as the winner, which always goes down a treat.  

Who's the 'Dec' to your 'Ant'? 

Fred is my go-to co-presenter. He's amazing. You wouldn't put us together because he looks very 'biker' and I’m more 'short spice', but we get on so well and have such a laugh together.
 

Meet... Daltan 

How would you describe your presenting style? 

High energy, loud and fun. I like to make fun of myself, and I don't take anything too seriously – I'm all about brightening up everyone's day. 

What kind of thing happens on the Jackpotjoy live shows? 

Expect loads of silly things, like presenters competing in challenges or having the most random conversations you could imagine while cracking up laughing.  

Take our National Bingo Day shows as an example. It was a 1.5-hour long show packed with entertainment, which included me wearing the biggest pair of orange pants I'd ever seen while everyone threw bingo balls at me for the Droopy Drawers challenge. I had to use the pants to catch 15 balls in total to win a prize for players. Not to brag, but I caught 38 in the end... That's how big those pants were. 

Which is your favourite Jackpotjoy live show? 

I really enjoy Bingo on the Loose. It's got trivia, puzzles and lots of fun challenges for the presenters to dive into on the audience's behalf. Plus, it has the Bingo to Go games, which are unique and give great chances of winning a prize. 

Chat o'Radio is one of my other favourites. It's very different to the rest of the shows, because you don't see us on screen. It's like a podcast instead, so you'll just hear our voices chattering away while you play your games.  

What advice would you give to someone who has never watched one of our shows before? 

Embrace the silliness! Just take part, embrace it all and have fun. 

Meet... Arnie 

How long have you been presenting live shows at Jackpotjoy? 

My first live show was back in 2015 on Chat AM, which was Jackpotjoy's first ever show, so I'm coming up to ten years now. Not quite as long as Fred but close! 

How would you describe our live shows? 

They're absolutely crackers. Our live shows are energetic, fun-packed madness designed to entertain and create a laugh. 

You can expect lots of energy, lots of different faces and presenters - no two shows are the same here!  

What makes the Jackpotjoy live shows worth watching? 

Well, what's great about our shows is that they're effectively like your classic Saturday night TV show, except you can get involved from your home. We can see everyone's messages in the chat while we're standing in front of the camera, so we can have a two-way conversation with the viewers and shout out when someone has a bit of good news or wins a game. 

It's a beautiful community of viewers congratulating each other and supporting their friends.  

Which three words would you use to describe yourself? 

Hysterical – I genuinely watch myself back sometimes and I find myself laughing, which is shocking, I know. Entertaining. Familiar. I've been around for nearly ten years now and you can spot my face on loads of the images on-site, so viewers usually recognise me when they dial in. 

Do you have a favourite memory from our shows? 

Yes! A few years ago, we did Jackpotjoy Lights Up Blackpool. We recorded videos of me in various places in Blackpool and challenged players to come and find me for a cash prize. One player travelled all the way from Dorset – she was so excited! It was a great laugh and a fun way for everyone to take on a challenge for a chance to win a prize. And, of course, our National Bingo Day celebration shows were amazing this June. We ran shows every single night for the whole month.

Which show would you recommend to new members? 

Bingo on the Loose. The graphics are really sweet, but there's also a lot of different competitions in the show. We've got the Bingo Booster machine that pulls out bingo balls to award prizes, trivia games, and things like 'Guess the Bingo Call'. And there's usually a presenter challenge that involves throwing balls around the studio.  

You don't necessarily need to be a member to watch either; Bingo on the Loose is also shown on the Jackpotjoy Facebook, so you can watch while you're chilling on your phone. 

Meet... Will  

How would you describe the challenges shown on live shows? 

Basically, they could either be a presenter versus another presenter, or a presenter taking on a challenge solo. Normally the challenges take inspiration from a Bingo Call, so 'Duck and Dive, 55' could become a challenge that involves the presenter ducking and diving around the studio to catch as many balls as they can.  

We like to throw a few twists into the mix too, so we might tell them that they can't move from a single spot on the floor or that they have to use different implements to catch the balls. The harder the challenge, the more fun it can be to watch! 

There are challenges for our geography fans too. Our 'Torquay and Devon' challenge involves Otis standing in a random location around the world and the audience has to guess where he is based on his clues. It's all a bit of fun where we try to create as many winners as possible before the show ends.

Do you have a favourite challenge? 

Time for Tea is my favourite. Imagine a lovely dining table set up with teacups and the like, then imagine us trying to bounce bingo balls into the cups while people are cheering us on in the chat.  

What advice would you give to something thinking about dialing into one of our shows? 

Just turn up! Ask one of our chat room hosts for the next show's start time, then tune in. Everything is accessible for everyone to join in with, and there are so many different types of games available to play. There are even free-to-play mini games!  

We've got a whole collection of different ways to win prizes while watching us be silly - even if you don't like the idea of one, then another might take your fancy. So, if you're going to be playing Sapphire Bingo, then you may as well play between 8-9pm when we've got a show on, because there will be extra chances to win. 

How are you different from a live casino host?  

Live casino hosts are really cool, but they'll pretty much just say 'hello' and get down to the business of spinning the wheel or dealing cards or whatever the game is. With live show presenters, we're in the game with you! You can physically see us crossing our fingers and watching with anticipation as we play to bag a prize for someone.   

What would surprise people to know about presenting the live shows?  

That it really is a job! Sure, there's lots of technical things to know when presenting live shows and it's not always a walk in the park when technology isn't playing ball, but we get to chat to people, build connections and provide entertainment. It's an amazing job. 

Fancy trying to guess Fred's next catchphrase doodle (we know you're brushing up on your catchphrases already!), or spotting where Otis travels to next? Become a Jackpotjoy member and you can see for yourself. We have an amazing itinerary of over 20 different live shows running at various points during the week so, like Will says, you're bound to find something you enjoy watching.  

And don't forget we also stream live shows to our Facebook page! Look for our bright blue logo on Facebook and hit 'follow' to tune into all the fun on your feed. Whether you're watching on Facebook or via your Jackpotjoy online account, there's no need to wager to watch our presenters delivering the giggles. Just sign up and pop into our free-to-use live chat feature to see for yourself. 

Who knows, you might even bag yourself a prize in one of our presenter's challenges! 

Head over to our blog to learn more about Jackpotjoy's wonderful community of chat hosts, live shows and bingo players.