Why Your Bingo Should Consider Adding "Odds" Games

Have you ever been to a bingo where they offer a series of prize levels for some of their bingo games? These games will pay you different amounts depending on how many numbers it takes for you to complete a bingo. Well, these are called "Odds" Games and they can be a fun part of your bingo program.

Let's say you win a coverall on your bingo paper that pays the you $500, but it pays you $1,000 if you win in 48 numbers or less. That's an example of an "Odds" Game. If done right, they can create extra excitement for bingo players and help your bingo succeed.

We've just posted a new article at Wholesale Bingo Supplies talking about these games and what you need to know about incorporating them into your games.

We urge you to check it out, and all of other articles here at: Bingo Articles for Managers.

Discount Party Supplies Partnership

Wholesale Bingo Supplies is proud to announce our partnership with one of the internet's leading providers of party supplies, Discount Party Supplies.com.

Over the years, we've had a number of requests from our customers (which primarily consists of non-profit organizations, charities, schools, fraternal groups, and bingo players) for party supplies or other party products. Often, in conjunction with some bingo fundraiser or other activity, these groups would like add party decorations or themed tableware to compliment the special event. Our partnership with Discount Party Supplies, will now allow us to recommend a company that, like us, strongly believes in fast service and customer care.

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Vegas Hotel Room Prices Continue to Drop

Having visited Las Vegas recently, I can definately say that room rates were definately down from prior years. Granted, August is a slow time for Vegas, but rates were still less expensive than I can remember. In my case, I checked in to the Rio and spent 4 nights with a strip view for only a little over $200. And, with the massive City Center location coming onboard late this year, downward pressures on hotel prices should continue.

Below is an excerpt from The Las Vegas Sun discussing this very thing.

Rob Kronman, who works in finance in Los Angeles, would have been willing to pay at least twice what he spent for two nights at the Encore last week. Thanks to a heated price war in Las Vegas, Kronman snagged a suite at the Encore for $109 per night, with a $50 credit toward resort purchases.

“I’ve stayed at the Hilton and Monte Carlo but this was a whole level above,” he said. “It was an extraordinary stay in what was probably a $400 room.”

Philadelphia schoolteacher Jackie Degregorio, who longed to stay at the Bellagio after previous stays at lower-end properties in Las Vegas, recently jumped at the chance to pay $180 per night for four nights in a room facing the dancing fountains.

“I probably would have paid more, but I felt better about getting the discount,” Degregorio said. “It was definitely worth it.”

They are among many consumers who are reaping the rewards of an unprecedented price war in Las Vegas, where four- and five-star properties are going for two- and three-star rates.

Will hotel prices in Las Vegas remain low? Or, if the economy finally comes back, will the rates increase once again? One things for sure, there hasn't been a cheaper time to stay in Vegas in years.

For the complete story, please see Liz Benston,Seduction by room rate, The Las Vegas Sun, August 24, 2009.

The Good and Bad of Legal Gambling

An interesting take on legal gambling and it's fiscal positives and social negatives is excerpted below. Focusing on the casino industry in Michigan, it details the highs and lows of casino expansion throughout the state.

Within the MGM Grand Detroit Casino, customers can grab a Starbucks latte, get a massage at the spa, buy a cocktail dress, sleep in a luxurious king size bed, get cash from the ATM, and dine on everything from Great Lakes walleye to New York strip steaks.

And, of course, they can gamble 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

It’s a self-contained city within a city. And when the gamblers are done, they can hop on a freeway to head out of Detroit with little trouble.

So what’s wrong with this picture? Nothing, but take a wider angle lens and the view through the camera turns to something else. Just a short drive from any of the three multi-million dollar casino complexes are desolate neighborhoods, boarded up shops, vast swaths of long-ago abandoned houses.

It would be interesting to see an article of this kind focusing on the positives and negatives of charity bingo and other nonprofit gaming. But, as we all know bingo is an activity that is seldom covered much.

For the complete article, please see Laura A. Bischoff, Exec: Casinos are ‘a great economic development tool,’ not a silver bullet, Dayton Daily News, August 22, 2009.

Could some Charitable Gaming to Be Banned in Ohio?

The language in the casino proposal currently being debated in Ohio is worrying some supporters of fundraising events. At issue is whether or not the current proposal would ban charitable gaming (casino nights) from the proposed casino areas. Frankly, it will be tough for casino fundraisers to compete against a casino in their own backyard anyway, but this legislation may seal their fate.

Below is an excerpt from the Columbus Dispatch:

If Ohioans approve four casinos in this November's election, they could inadvertently shut down casino-style games that many churches and other charitable organizations hold to raise money.

That's the opinion of Gov. Ted Strickland and Attorney General Richard Cordray, who have analyzed the language of the ballot measure that would authorize casinos in Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Toledo.

Issue 3 would limit "casino gaming" to those four sites.

Opponents of the proposed constitutional amendment, plus the attorney general's office, think that restriction would wipe out casino-style gambling currently allowed at churches under Ohio's charitable-gaming laws.

"If the amendment passes, we believe that it would create a risk that a court might find that those charitable games of chance that are currently legal might be determined to be illegal," said Ted Hart, a spokesman for the attorney general.

While bingos would obviously face increased competition from the proposed casinos, the casino legislation would not affect their ability to operate. It specifically exempts bingo and horse racing from any new gambling restrictions.

For the complete story, please see James Nash, Casinos to stop church games?, The Columbus Dispatch, August 21, 2009.

Grand Rapids Casino Update

There has been little news of late about the future of the Grand Rapids area casino until now. Apparently, the land involved was officially declared a reservation and Station Casinos has agreed to manage the future operation.

Below is a brief excerpt from the ReviewJournal.com:

Plans by Station Casinos to manage an American Indian casino in Michigan have taken a step forward.

The land where the casino is planned was officially designated a reservation on Monday.

The casino company’s current bankruptcy case should not affect the $200 million project, which will be financed by the tribe.

The Department of Indian Affairs on Monday announced the signing of a proclamation making 147 acres a reservation for the Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians.

The Michigan casino is able to move ahead after a 10-year legal struggle by the tribe, commonly called the Gun Lake Tribe, ended on Jan. 30.

When will the groundbreaking begin and when will the casino be scheduled to open? Also, what affect will this have on area bingos and other charitable gaming? These are all things that we'll be watching.

For the complete story, please see Arnold M. Knightly, Tribal casino in Michigan takes step forward; Station to manage, Las Vegas Review-Journal,August 18, 2009.

Vegas Lessons

Three former high-level executives in the casino industry recently got together to discuss the downturn in Las Vegas and the gaming industry in general. Some of the their observations about Las Vegas and it's problems hold true for tribal gaming and even the charitable bingo market.

Anyway, its a good read and gives you some insight into the thinking behind the huge build-up of hotels and casinos that have led to the current glut. Below is an excerpt from the article:

Imagine that you’re a retired gaming executive and you’re watching the industry crash all around you, in the biggest recession in the modern casino era.

You take a deep breath, counting your lucky stars you’re retired but wondering: What could I have done differently? What would I do now?

The Sun invited three former casino executives to sit down for a Sunday Conversation, to candidly reflect, with the benefit of 20-20 hindsight, about the gaming industry — then, now and in the future.

Together, they talked about bad assumptions, questionable decisions and getting caught up in the go-go boom years, second-guessed shifting strategies and talked about what can and should be learned about the industry and its customers.

The trio: Phil Satre, former CEO of Harrah’s Entertainment; Don Snyder, former president of Boyd Gaming; and Glenn Christenson, former chief financial officer of Station Casinos. Each is still active in corporate, civic and philanthropic life in Southern Nevada, but it was their days in the casino board rooms that we wanted to explore.

We wanted to get inside their heads, and they let us.

What lessons can be learned? Hard to say. For the complete story, please see Liz Benston, Making sense of gaming’s big crash, The Las Vegas Sun, August 9, 2009.

Ohio Lottery Director Resigns

Ohio's lottery director resigned Tuesday from a rocky tenure serving in Gov. Ted Strickland's cabinet, as the state tries to expand the lottery to include video slot machines at horse racing tracks.

Dolan did not say why he's leaving in his resignation letter to Strickland, other than to say that he had thought about the direction of the lottery, including the new policy for slot machines.

"My reflection has led me to conclude that the best interests of the Lottery and the state, as well as my personal interests, would be best served by passing the Lottery 'baton' so that the next leg of the race can be completed freshly," Dolan said.

Dolan will continue to serve as lottery director until Strickland makes a new appointment.

Dolan's tenure included being cited in an Ohio Inspector general report for sending free lottery tickets to a state trooper who had pulled him over for driving without a front license plate and found that he wasn't wearing a seat belt. The trooper let him off with verbal warnings.

Dolan sent 100 instant tickets to the trooper. In response to the Inspector General report, Dolan said he regretted that his actions reflected poorly on the lottery but stopped short of saying he did anything wrong.

Dolan also appeared unprepared to answer questions during hearings held by Senate Republicans to evaluate Strickland's slots plan.

Additionally, there were questions about how Dolan dealt with state lawmakers who were evaluating lottery contracts.

For the complete story, please see Stephen Majors, State lotto chief says he's 'passing baton,' resigns, AP via FallsNewsPress.com, August 9, 2009.

Greektown's Future Still Uncertain

Hold, or fold?

That's the simple question, with complicated answers, facing the Sault Tribe of Chippewa as it decides what to do about Greektown Casino-Hotel.

The bankrupt Detroit gambling hall that began as a dream of self-sufficiency has turned into a legal nightmare and financial albatross that's divided 38,000 tribal members, choked the tribe's finances and forced its leaders to rethink long-term ambitions aimed at improving the lives of one of the state's most historically oppressed people.

"It wasn't supposed to end up like this," said Bernard Bouschor, a former Sault Tribe chairman who now sits on its board of directors. "Not after we spent so much time and money."

The predicament in which the tribe finds itself is serious: likely losing Greektown, which by revenue is the smallest of Detroit's three gambling halls, to creditors or a new buyer in a federal bankruptcy court hundreds of miles from home. It deeply contrasts with the bright promise the casino held for the tribe when the fight for a crack at the downstate market first started two decades ago.

For the complete story, please see Nathan Hurst, Greektown Casino: Waiting for the chips to fall, The Detroit News, August 10, 2009.

We're Back

If it seems like we've been a little slow to update our bingo blog lately, it's because we have been working on the final touches of a big new project. We'll hopefully be able to share the details with you on this in about a week or so, but in the meantime, expect a renewed effort to bring you the latest news on the bingo and gaming industry.

Of course, we'll continue to bring you information on the latest bingo products as well. So, please be sure to check back from time to time.

Bingo Bob Daubers Are Back!

One of our all time best-selling bingo daubers is back. Due to popular demand, we've recently brought back the always fun Bingo Bob Dauber.

Available in 6 colors (blue, red, green, orange, purple and teal). Get them quick because they is a limited quantity and they may not be around forever.

FireKeepers Readies for Opening

After a decade of legal battles and a year of construction, the Firekeepers Casino is set to open its doors.

The casino sits along I-94 near 11 Mile Road in Emmett Township. Inside the massive building there will be 2,500 slot machines, 110 game tables and about 1,500 people earning their paychecks.

Now, those employees are ready to celebrate the completion of a lot of work.

Firekeepers is expected to open in August, but getting the casino ready for the big event hasn't been the easiest task. It has taken the work of over 1,000 people who have been hired and trained to get the operation in full swing.

"It's a celebration," said Sonia Mohaney.

For the complete story, please see Firekeepers Casino celebrates being ready to open, Channel 3 News, July 31, 2009.