Emily Beardy was hoping to win the jackpot at bingo on Friday night in Winnipeg, but instead she witnessed a terrifying robbery.

She went early to play bingo at the Saints Peter and Paul Parish Centre on the 400 block of Marion Street and had just settled down, along with her boyfriend, with her bingo dabbers and cards for the early games around 7 p.m.

"All of a sudden the caller was like, 'Emergency, emergency, front door, front door, office!" Beardy said.

She says she looked over and saw a man at the front door dressed entirely in black with a balaclava over his face. He was carrying a large machete.

"There was a little old lady working the front door. Oh my god, I felt so scared for her," Beardy said.

Two other people were also wearing black with their faces covered, Beardy said. During the robbery some people hid under their tables, others tried to rush to escape, she said.

Wendy Nattaway was waiting in line at the bingo hall and was behind the three suspects just as she saw one of them pull out a machete.

"One of them flipped the top of the table … to get the money tray," she said.

After getting the cash tray, the suspects took off, she said.

Not only was it scary, it was very disappointing, Nattaway said.

"That's just mean. Those people [working at the bingo hall] are old and they are just trying to make others have fun," she said.

Police quickly arrived at the bingo hall, Beardy said.

Winnipeg police said the robbery is being investigated and no injuries were reported.

Beardy said everyone was shaken up, but they carried on with playing anyway.

"The worker was like, 'We will continue bingo. Unfortunately this happens a lot,'" Beardy said.

"After that happened, the whole time through bingo, my heart was racing. I was shaking."

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