Bingo

When the nongambler learns that bingo is a gambling game his response is often surprise and even amusement. Bingo is a children's game, something played at Rotary Club benefits and church bazaars! Isn't it?

Those from Las Vegas see bingo in a different light. They are well aware that it is more than hometown fun, that it is a $2 billion-a-year enterprise, a controversial gambler's sport, the legality of which has caused much bitter debate, and the proceeds from have helped finance schools, churches, and underworld empires.

And yet it is a picturesque and gentle game. Derived from lotto, which in turn was taken from the principles of the ancient Italian National Lottery, bingo's attraction lies in its sweet simplicity. After paying what is usually a modest admission at the door, the player purchases cards on which twenty-five random numbers from 1 to 75 are arranged in five columns.

The player may buy as many cards as he is capable of playing (a bingo player manning as many as twenty cards is not an unusual sight in the casinos). In front of the bingo room is a large cage holding seventy-five numbered balls. When everyone is seated and the game begins, these balls are drawn one at a time by the bingo operator and given to the "caller" to announce. Each time one of these numbers corresponds to a number on the player's card the player covers it with a marker. When a player covers all the numbers in one of his vertical, horizontal, or diagonal rows he shouts, "Bingo!" If all the numbers are correct, he wins a money prize, which in Nevada can vary from $20 to $5,000.

Many people love this game. The costs of playing are small; reports have it that the average amount spent for an evening of bingo is about $6.50. Someone always wins, and the illusion that the player has "just missed" getting a bingo each game makes it all quite suspenseful and fun. Popularity notwithstanding, bingo is considered a bit of annoyance among casino owners. It is not commonly found along the Strip and is tolerated downtown, where the managers complain that space taken up by 25-cent bettors could house high-priced games. Actually, the real reason bingo has traditionally been tolerated is because it gives wives something to do while their husbands are out losing their shirts at craps or twenty-one. This image is now a bit dated; in the 1970s wives may be losing their shirts along with their husbands'. Still, any afternoon peep into the bingo parlor will prove that bingo belongs primarily to the ladies.

A Tip for Bingo Players

One fallacy about bingo should be cleared up once and forever. Many people believe that by playing several cards at once their chances of winning are increased. Mathematically this does not hold true. For although it is true that the chances of winning are approximately ten times greater, the price that must be paid by the player increases tenfold but the amount he may win does not increase. Hence, there is no net percentage gain. So save your money and play the single card.