Unveiling the Secrets of US Bingo Casinos

US Bingo Casinos is a game that any Philippines learning English has tried at least once. But very few people know that, in the US, this number-filling game is an “industry” worth up to hundreds of millions of dollars. Along with Jilihot, there are also “hidden corners”…

Las Vegas is more than just casinos

By the spirit of the game rules, before each Bingo game officially opens, players will be given a grid of paper with five rows, and equivalent to that, five columns. Each box is marked with any number from 1 to 75. The dealer will draw numbers like a lottery to choose any number. Players will find and highlight on their piece of paper any numbered box that has just been selected.

The first player to highlight a row or column on the piece of paper will call out “Bingo” to declare himself the winner of this round. Next, everyone will start a new round. At professional Bingo casinos, people often play 25 to 30 consecutive Bingo rounds to find the final winner to receive a prize.

Games similar to Bingo have existed in Europe since the Middle Ages, but it was only when Bingo appeared in America in the early 20th century that this hobby became truly popular. Bingo was originally a game organized by communities on Sundays. After everyone in a village or town has finished their Sunday prayers, they will gather to play Bingo.

The purpose of the game is to create interaction and connection in the community. But over time, Bingo became a black game, and the first professional Bingo casinos officially began to appear in the US.

Most Bingo casinos are opened right next to the casino for the convenience of the owners. Bingo players can buy themselves a ticket worth from a few dollars to a few hundred dollars to participate in a game that lasts about an hour.

For professional Bingo “addicts”, this is just a “snack” for them. They most look forward to the games between many casinos via wireless phone. Each session can attract 200-300 participants with prizes up to more than 100,000 USD. Recently, a man in Santa Fe, California, won $135,649 in a Bingo session between many different casinos.

Today Bingo is one of the “money-making” industries in America. According to data from the Nevada State Department of Gaming, the gambling “capital” of the United States, while casino sales decreased by 39.1%, bettors won 37% in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 19, Bingo casinos continued to grow at a rate of 27.5%.

The main cause of this phenomenon is that Las Vegas casinos serve tourists from other places. While the pandemic is raging, no one wants to fly to this city for vacation. On the contrary, the main customers of Bingo casinos are local people. They hardly change their habits, going out to play Bingo every few nights every week.

Bingo is highly profitable in Las Vegas.

Bingo players are often elderly people; In addition to large-scale Bingo floors, there are also small floors in rural towns. In rural America, there are very few common living spaces or groups for the elderly to meet, socialize, and entertain each other. Their only remaining choice is a pub or a Bingo casino. Many local governments have had preferential policies for Bingo casinos to both satisfy people’s needs and earn a significant amount of tax money.

Although playing Bingo seems to bring many benefits on the surface, it has many downsides that only insiders know. Gill Holloway, an employee of a small Bingo casino in Texas, said: “There are fights almost every week. Women just need to have a little disagreement and they are ready to pick up their bags and smash each other’s faces like a piece of beef steak. As for the battles where everyone gets into a fight, they usually happen once or twice a year.”

Bingo-related fights are showing signs of increasing as the number of young people participating has skyrocketed. Bingo floors are one of the few entertainment establishments in the US that are still open while the COVID-19 pandemic is still raging. The first time teenagers come to the Bingo floor, they think this place is like a casino without knowing that it has its own rules and regulations.

Arguments between grandparents and people the same age as their grandchildren happen more and more. In June 2020, a fight broke out at the Bingo Gala (Derby County) due to two men, one 46 years old, the other 20 years old, arguing about the rules of the game. Police were called in to deal with the incident and they arrested 10 people involved in the fight, most of whom needed urgent first aid for their injuries.

Bingo floors have long adopted several measures to protect players. They prohibit players from carrying any sharp objects. Some locations have metal scanners to check anyone entering or exiting. Or, the staff said

Guards stationed in the playroom are equipped with taser guns capable of knocking a person unconscious in just a few seconds with a powerful electric current. However, no measures can solve the root problem of violence in Bingo casinos.

In many areas in the US, Bingo casinos are the only place for elderly people to meet and socialize with each other.

Enough nonsense and tricks

Like other red and black games, gamblers have all kinds of ways to cheat in Bingo. The most familiar “trick” is to fake playing cards. Through personal relationships, gamblers will know which company the Bingo casino uses for playing cards manufactured by. Every American company licensed to produce Bingo playing cards has certain signs for casino staff to check whether they are real or fake. After making enough fake cards, the cheater will hide them in his pocket and take them to the Bingo casino.

After the dealer has called six or seven numbers, he will find the fake card with the most corresponding numbers and then swap the fake card with the real card. If the Bingo casino staff is just a little careless, they will be fooled by fake cards.

Gill recounted an incident she once encountered at a Bingo casino as follows: “There was a mother-daughter pair who knew where our casino bought tickets. The cards we use are printed with a polymer coating so they are very difficult to counterfeit. Instead of making fake cards, their mother and daughter made stickers with fake numbers printed on them.

Whenever they are close to winning, mother and son just need to stick a sticker on a certain number box and shout “Bingo”. In the end, incredibly, for two weeks straight, the gambling couple tricked the bookie out of more than $10,000 in winnings before one person stuck the sticker a little crooked and was discovered.

Turning the house into your “inside guy” is another way to cheat. Gamblers will intentionally sit as close as possible to where people choose numbers, then use signals to let the dialer know which number they need to win. The dialer just chose that number. The important thing when using this “tactic” is to be calm and not let yourself win too early to avoid suspicion from other players.

The second most important thing: share fully with the “inside hand”. Many gamblers thought they could leave with two pockets full of money but were caught by the police before calling the casino because the person dialing the number revealed everything.

Bingo casinos are in a “race” with cheaters. They have no other choice, on the one hand for their profit, and on the other hand to protect players. Older people have poor eyesight and are no longer quick-witted, so they are easily fooled by scammers. Most Bingo casinos have installed modern camera systems and a team of surveillance experts to monitor players anytime, anywhere.

They also use their influence to influence local authorities. After a campaign by the National Bingo Association, the state of Nevada has increased the penalty for Bingo cheaters to a maximum of 20 years in prison. Many other localities are expected to follow Nevada’s lead and impose even harsher penalties for cheaters.

Bingo Gala Casino, where gamblers brawl.

The second COVID-19 outbreak forced the US government to amend its quarantine regulations. Most Bingo casinos have had to close due to new regulations. This is their only choice because if they want to continue operating, these casinos will have to spend a lot of money on repairs and interior changes to ensure distance between players.

Casino management companies are currently looking for the least efficient Bingo casinos to close permanently, reducing their operating costs. Buzz Bingo Group recently announced that it will close 26 different Bingo casinos and cut employment contracts for 573 employees.

The issue of US Bingo Casinos closures is causing headaches for local authorities. For many years, rural areas in the US have continuously suffered from budget shortages due to the unstable economic situation. Along with that, the population is aging and money from state and federal budgets is all “sucked up” by big cities. Taxes collected from Bingo casinos thus become an important financial source for local governments to continue to complete their tasks.

Conclude

In addition, US Bingo Casinos also create jobs for people in places where there are few job opportunities. And, as mentioned, the elderly consider Bingo casinos as a common living space, a place for them to socialize and make friends. Therefore, once Bingo casinos close, it will lead to a series of economic, cultural and social “holes” in rural America.