A few problems with the machines didn't stop the first big payout from the Super Bucks Bingo game late Saturday night at the Waccamaw Factory Shoppes.

The big winner, Summerville resident Stephanie Dresp, won the $25,000 Super Bucks jackpot around midnight, event promoter Carmen Marino said.

Dresp was visiting Myrtle Beach with a friend when she decided to try Super Bucks Bingo. She won several smaller prizes before walking off with the largest amount of the evening.

Dresp left the building with about $26,500, Marino said. She was escorted to her car by security guards hired for the event.

"She was pretty cool; she didn't give a big shout," Marino said.

Bingo hopefuls began lining up at 7 a.m. in the nearly empty shopping center, but the first round of games didn't start until 2 p.m., Marino said.

The players spent their spare time catching up on gossip and doing pre-game rituals such as setting up miniature shrines and lighting candles in hopes of winning the first $25,000 jackpot, he said.

He compared the players to athletes who bring lucky charms or wear certain shoes to a big game.

"One person had a little incense," Marino said. "They get comfortable; a lot of people know each other."

Some players came from as far away as North Carolina and Virginia, he said.

Marino, a native of New Jersey, said there was a few glitches Saturday with the machines but nothing major.

He said 50 percent of what the parlor brings in must be returned to gamers in prizes.

Other money from Super Bucks will go to Aynor's Levister Development Activity Center, which offers tutoring and after-school programs for underprivileged children, he said.

The center will get about $10,000 from Saturday's games, he said.

Marino also promotes a Big Bucks Bingo game in Socastee, which has a smaller jackpot. The game raises money for the Sons of Italy, a local fraternal organization that organizes the Italian Festival in Myrtle Beach and assists with the annual Sun Fun Festival, among other things.

The Super Bucks game will return Dec. 11.

The games could start at 1 p.m. next month to allow jackpot hopefuls more time to play, Marino said.

The 20,000 feet of empty retail space rented for Super Bucks Bingo can hold about 1,400 people. If the crowd gets bigger, there is space to expand. About 1,000 people showed up for the first games, Marino said.

Because Super Bucks offers a $25,000 jackpot, state law says it can operate only once a month. Games will be held the second Saturday of each month.