More Perspective on Smoking Bans and Their Negative Impact on Bingos and Charities

Following is an excerpt of an editorial discussing the recent New York Times article about smoking bans and their negative impact on bingo:


I grew up playing bingo since my Dad was a bingo caller for the Elks. He was also a Shriner, a Mason, a Lion, and an overall charitable person with organizations that rely on bingo games to support their service to the needy. My sister is heavily involved in the Women's Moose organization that also relies on bingo for much of their philanthropic work. Me - well, I just love to play bingo to support all my favorite local charities as my Dad taught me to do. Charities who operate bingo games to raise money are seriously suffering from the smoking bans in bingo halls.

In a report published by the New York Times, there is solid evidence that charities are suffering from the smoking bans. Some charities have had to close their bingo operations because the smokers made up the largest percentage of their customer base. Other charities have lost up to 50% of the revenues over the last year. When news broke about casinos in Atlantic City banning smoking, as do the casinos in Colorado, I was relieved to know the trend is continuing. Don't get me wrong, I smoke, but do not like smoking around people who are on oxygen tanks or become ill from my smoking. I am happy to step outside or move if someone next to me if affected by my bad habit.

Oddly enough, the nonsmokers are really the ones who benefit from the smoking bans, but they do not support the bingo operations by showing up to play and donate to the charities. Bingo employees and volunteers who do not smoke are happy about a smoke-free workplace, but many have had to find new jobs when their bingo operation shut down. So many bingo halls have closed down from lack of nonsmoker support, you would think there could be a smoking only bingo hall to keep the charities afloat, and let the nonsmokers go to the smoke-free casinos. Then everyone would be happy.

For the full article, please see Aly Adair Smoking Bans in Bingo Halls Hurt Charities Associated Content, April 28, 2008

Michigan Attorney General to Review Casino Dispute

A dispute is growing over the decision by the owner of the new Four Winds Casino Resort to withhold revenue-sharing payments from the state and county.

The Michigan Gaming Control Board sent a letter this month to state Attorney General Mike Cox, asking him to review the matter and determine a legal course of action against the Dowagiac-based Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians.

For the full article, please see Mich. attorney general asked to take action against casino Mlive, April 29,2008

Non-Smoking Legislation Proves Fatal for Many Bingos

The New York Times has published another article about the negative effects non-smoking has on charitable bingo.

For good or bad,bingo seems to attract smokers. And, when given the choice between a non-smoking charity bingo at the local bingo hall, or bingo with smoking at a casino, players will usually pick the casino.

Again, our position is that if Michigan passes non-smoking legislation, they need to excempt charitable bingo. Otherwise, they're giving an unfair advantage to casinos and many charities and veterans groups will be hurt.

For more information, please see Stephanie Strom After the Smoke Cleared, Where Did All the Bingo Players Go? New York Times, Apirl 24, 2008.

Battle Creek Casino on Schedule for 2009.

Despite the absence of construction activity at the FireKeepers Casino site east of Battle Creek, project officials say the project is still on target for completion in mid-2009.

"There's no exact date, but I think people will see things moving before June," said casino spokeswoman Donna Halinski. "We're optimisitic we'll have a June 2009 opening — I think that's achievable."

For more information, please see Darby Prateri Casino project awaits start Battle Creek Enquirer, April 28, 2008

YouTube & Bingo

Okay, this has nothing to do with anything, but I thought it would be interesting to see what was on YouTube regarding "bingo". Some kind of interesting stuff on bingo from here and there:





Above are a couple of personal interest stories on bingo and bingo players.




Above,
bingo and celebrities in the UK.




Finally,from collegehumor.com.


What can I say? I was bored. Of course, there's a ton more out there. Some good some bad. If you have some time go to YouTube "Bingo"

Bingo America on GSN

Patrick Duffy talks about hosting "Bingo America" on GSN.

Big Money Bingo Jackpot Site

Just wanted to give a quick note about the Big Money Bingo website Big Money Bingo for Michigan bingos. The Big Money game is a linked jackpot only available in Michigan (as far as we know). This site lists the current jackpot amount.

Smoking Bans Good or Bad for Gaming?

Each state is different, but in Colorado some are blaming the smoking ban for a decline in gaming revenues.

For more information, please see Casinos Report Revenue Down After Smoking Ban, 7NEWS, TheDenverChannel.com, April 17, 2008.

5 Quick Tips on Running a Bingo

Your bingo should be a source of fun and excitement for your bingo players. Here are 5 quick tips to help you make sure this happens:

1. Treat every player (yes, even the crabby ones) as a valued guest. They will return to your bingo again and again

2. Express concern for player complaints. Treat them as opportunities to create good will.

3. Encourage your workers to learn and use each player's name.

4. Choose workers who truly enjoy being with people. One sour puss can spoil the perception of your bingo.

5. Help players celebrate their winnings and they will spread the good word about your bingo. When a player smiles, you and your workers should be happy.

Smoking Ban in Michigan Makes News Again.

A study commissioned by the Campaign for Smokefree Air claims that a smoking ban in Michigan would not hurt bars and restaurants. What is not mentioned is the affect a smoking ban would have on charitable bingos. Also unclear is whether or not charitable bingos and/or casinos would remain exempt from any such ban.

We have mixed feelings about any proposed smoking ban. We understand the health consequences of smoking, but we also believe in a person's (and a business owner's) ability to make decisions for themselves and their business. So, we see both sides of the issue.

However, we hope that any ban that exempts casinos will also exempt non-profit charitable bingo games as well. Charitable bingo already faces many disadvantages when it comes to competing with casinos. If you add another hurdle by allowing casinos to have smoking while non-profit bingos are restricted, many charity bingos will suffer. This would mean many bingos would close, and many charities and veteran's groups that depend on them would lose needed funding.

It is our understanding that the Michigan Legislature is debating this issue as we speak. We can only hope that as they discuss this, they consider how their actions will affect numerous charities around the state.

For more information please see Chris Christoff Report: Smoking ban won't hurt economy Detroit Free Press, April 16, 2008.

WholesaleBingoSupplies.com Up and Running

Last week, we officially kicked off , our retail bingo supplies site. For us, the challenge of starting a retail site has been, and continues to be, an eye-opening experience. However, it has been an enjoyable one.

We're not there yet, though. If you look at the site, .WholesaleBingoSupplies.com, we obviously need to make cosmetic improvements in some areas and we'll do that. But before we concern ourselves with some of the cosmetic issues, we wanted to make sure the backend operations were handled properly. How would new bingo orders be processed?, How would they be communicated to shipping?, Who would answer customers' questions?, etc.

So far, the back-end operations have gone smoothly (we need to tweak a few things internally going forward), and so we should be able to concentrate more on the site. Expect to see a number of changes (additional products, better descriptions, etc.) in the near future.

As always, we welcome your comments and questions. Please let us know if you have any suggestions.

Michigan's Gun Lake Compact Could Be the Model for Other Negotiations

More analysis of the Michigan tribal casino situation:


The Gun Lake Tribe's compact may be a model for agreements to be renegotiated in the next four to five years, according to James Hill, professor at Central Michigan University.

The compact is different from earlier agreements in three major ways. The tribe agreed to share revenue on an increasing scale, beginning with eight percent and rising to 12 percent of slot machine revenues, calculated on gross revenues. As the tribe makes more, it pays the state a higher percentage.

For more information please see Lynn Stevens, Casinos: New compact could be model, Business Review Western Michigan, via Mlive, April 10, 2008.

A Word About Bingo Paper

Having been in the bingo industry for awhile, we understand that bingo paper can be complicated to order. Different areas have different ways to describe bingo cards. So, we have provided a brief overview (below) to help you with your paper orders:

“The Cut”
All bingo paper is cut into various shapes and sizes depending on the bingo game. These shapes are described by the number of faces (single squares, or “plays”) and how the paper flows, either vertically (up and down) or horizontally (side to side).

Generally, “the cut” is the first thing shown when looking at a bingo paper description.

Case Paper
Case paper is a box of multiple sheets of bingo paper that are all the same color. These paper sheets are generally sold for specific bingo games in a program (such as a large jackpot) in addition to collated books. Typically case paper is packaged in groups of single, loose sheets.

Collated Bingo Paper
Collated bingo paper or “bingo books” of paper are various differently colored sheets glued together to form a multi-colored packet. The number of multi-colored bingo sheets in a book are the “ups”. This packet or “book” is then used to play a number of bingo games sequentially in a bingo program.

Remember, the “ups” are simply the number of sheets glued together in a book. The sheets are almost always several different colors, each designating a different game.

Bingo Paper Prices to Go Higher

We've heard rumblings for many months that bingo paper manufacturers were preparing to increase paper prices substantially. Well, that day is finally here.

A couple of the largest bingo paper manufacturers have already raised prices, but today, we received notice that the last major holdout American Games, inc will be increasing paper prices in the near future.

This was inevitable. Commodities prices for most manufactured goods have been going up for some time, adding to manufacturers' costs. Further, gas prices continue to climb, and bingo paper is a heavy product that is expensive to ship. These things create a recipe for upward pricing.

The bottom line: Expect your bingo's paper prices to increase 10-20%in the near future if they haven't gone up already.

One Way to Beat the Price Increase
Keep in mind that most bingo distributors will offer some price breaks for bingos that use "standard" bingo paper. "Standard" paper books are simply bingo books that follow a specific color pattern determined by the manufacturer. It is easier (and less costly) for the manufacturer to produce books in the same color order than to create special runs for unusual color patterns.

If your bingo paper is in a special color sequence, you should ask your bingo distributor about switching to a "standard" rotation. While you may have to let your bingo players know about your game color changes (and reprint bingo programs), your bingo will probably save money in the long run.

Demand for "Bingo America" Bingo Cards Shuts Down Site!

Apparently, "Bingo America" the bingo-themed gameshow on GSN is a hit. Overwhelming demand for bingo cards shut down their website, and forced the show to issue apologies. They hope to have everything corrected shortly.

For more information please see Carrie Grosvenor, Bingo America Premieres and Wipes Out GSN Website Carrie's Game Shows Blog, April 1, 2008.

Big Money Bingo Winner Hits for Over $44,000

We don't usually see a lot of write-ups for the Michigan Lottery's Big Money Bingo game and its winners, but I ran across one today and wanted to share it here.


WYANDOTTE — Bingo usually is seen as a small-stakes game.

Not that a jackpot of $1,000 or more wouldn't put a smile on anyone's face, but the really big money in games of chance generally are found in casinos or state lotteries.

Theresa Guzenda would beg to differ. The 84-year-old Wyandotte resident walked away from an Oak Hall bingo game Thursday afternoon $44,000 richer.

For the complete story, see Jim Kasuba, Woman hits $44,000 playing Big Money game, the News-Herald, March 23, 2008.

Bingo as a Team Building Exercise? Why Not?

Bingo is an exciting and fun way to award prizes at corporate and team building events. It takes little effort and creates an exciting atmosphere.

How Do You Do It?
Simply hand out bingo cards to your staff and call numbers from an old-school bingo cage. As each number is called, your staff will mark them on their bingo cards with a bingo dauber until an entire row is checked off. Once a row is complete, the worker yells "Bingo!" and receives a prize. Easy enough?

For bigger prizes, you could play a longer bingo game such as a "coverall" where a players must mark every number on their bingo card before a bingo occurs.

Team bingo activities are an easy way to inspire employees and help them learn about each other in a fun environment. For more information see Bullfrogbingosupplies - corporate events

Political Parties Ready to Run Bingos Again in Michigan?

LANSING - Political candidates searching for innovative ways to raise campaign funds may soon be crying "BINGO!"

Legislation introduced by Rep. Mark Meadows, D-East Lansing, would change charitable gaming rules to allow political parties to run bingos to raise money for candidates.

Under current rules, parties can run bingos, but can use the proceeds only to pay for operational costs - like party headquarters' light bills or informational ads - not to advocate a candidate or a position, said Mike Petersen, deputy Lottery commissioner.

The proposal comes in a year when all House seats are open and more than a decade after the state said bingo proceeds couldn't be used to support campaigns.

For the full article, see Whitney Lloyd, "Democrats betting on more bingo cash" , Capital News Service, March 21, 2008.