Win some extra cash on the side!

Now there are even more chances for you to get lucky in the BigBrotherBingo House with our brand NEW Side Bets!

As well as buying cards into our bingo games, you can  take a chance on our Side Bet games & win  extra  cash! Check out how below:

Side Bet are available in the The Hot Tub or 24/7 Surveillance room so hop on in & try your luck today!

Terms & Conditions

• Side Bets are available in the The Hot Tub or 24/7 Surveillance rooms.
• A player can only place a Side Bet in a bingo game after having purchased a minimum of 1 card into the game.
• Side Bets are available for 75 & 90 ball bingo.
• Multiple Side Bets can be placed during a single bingo game by the same player.
• Side Bets cannot be cancelled.
• Minimum bet 20p  – max £1

Join the fun and raise some money for charity with Gay Bingo! Gay Bingo is a wild and popular event that not only offers a fantastic evening of entertainment, but also has been entertaining the community of Philadelphia for over a decade.  Gay Bingo is a monthly bingo event that is used to raise funds for the AIDS Fund.  As Gay Bingo edges into its sixteenth season, it is clear how widely successful it has become. 

Those days of playing Bingo with your Grandma are still a staple in the bingo community. As times change, so do new concepts and ideas about bingo.   A great way to increase the interest in bingo is to tap into a younger audience with trendy and hip bingo games.  Bingo is all about having fun and you cannot mistake the fact that Gay Bingo does that with wacky humor.  Gay Bingo is hosted by the famous BVDs, or Bingo Verifying Divas, a wild and fun bunch of drag queens on roller skates rallying the crowd with their outrageous costumes.  Gay Bingo offers an entertaining evening filled with fabulous prizes, ridiculously funny musical numbers and many other hilarious and fun additions.  There are also many volunteer opportunities at Gay Bingo for those who wish to get involved.

The Proceeds of Gay Bingo and Partner Organizations

Gay Bingo is dedicated to raise money for those in the Delaware Valley who are currently living with HIV or AIDS.  Gay Bingo has raised over $2 million for the AIDS Fund.  The AIDS Fund is committed to the prevention and education on HIV and AIDS in the Delaware Valley Region.  This organization also works to raise public awareness on the impact that HIV and AIDS has in the community.  Presently, there are 30 partner organizations that receive funds from the AIDS Fund.  These partner organizations offer events and activities in an attempt to provide essential HIV and AIDS prevention, care and education services.

Getting Involved: Why We Walk and Run

The AIDS Walk Philly takes place every third Sunday in October.  This event is run by hundreds of volunteers who are ready to work hard and help prepare the event.  These volunteers work for months before the event to organize the walk.   These volunteers work the concession stands, drive buses, photograph the event, act as cheerleaders for the runners and walkers, check-in all event participants, monitor the route, set up the event tents and clean up after the event is complete. The statistics provided by the AIDS Fund states that:

• Since 1981, over 600,00 Americans have died of AIDS
• About every 9 minutes, someone in the United States is infected with HIV
• 1 in 5 people who are infected with HIV do not know that they have contracted the disease
• The rate of HIV infection is 50% higher in Philadelphia than in New York City as stated by the Philadelphia Department of Public Health
• There are 1.2 million people in the United States who have HIV and are not receiving any form of medical treatment for the disease

Want expanded Bingo hours?  You got ‘em.

The voters have spoken.  Ohio is opening its state to casinos:  Four of them.  The first casino is open for business in Cleveland as of Monday, May 14.  Then Penn National Gaming Inc., set to begin operations on May 29, 2012 in Toledo, will be the second.  Casinos in Columbus and Cincinnati will follow later.

The Ohio State Legislature is running to catch up.  Rep. Lou Blessing is the comprehensive gambling bill’s sponsor.  After the House passed his bill, the Senate tweaked it and passed its own version.  Now the House wants time to review the adjustments.  Governor John Kasich wants the bill passed asap.

 Bingo Hall Hours Expanded

The legislative bill governs casinos, racetracks, new video lottery terminals and bingo halls.  It expands the hours of bingo operations to 2:00 AM from the existing midnight curfew. The state legislature clearly recognizes that gaming laws need to be passed pronto.  Therefore, one of the Senate additions includes a provision that makes the bill immediately effective upon the governor’s signature.

Senate Amendments for the Bingo Bill

The purpose of the bill is summarized by Senate committee chairman Bill Coley.  He stated to the Senate that the bill gives authorities the power to prevent crime from entering the casinos.  Coley also emphasized that the bill provides local officers with the training and equipment necessary to combat criminal activities from petty theft to money laundering.  The Senate removed a clause that would have expanded charitable card rooms to all 88 counties, from the existing sole card room in Cuyahoga County.  That issue is expected to be the subject of a separate bill.  As to new internet “sweepstakes” cafes, the Senate added a one-year moratorium.

Horse Racing and Gambling Authority

A minimum number of live racing days is established for the seven Ohio horse tracks.  Thus the horse racing industry is strengthened, and so is the authority of the State Inspector General, which oversees the law enforcement arm at casinos.  That arm is the State’s Attorney General.  But the bill has not yet been enacted.  The Ohio State Legislature had better hurry; the casino train has already left the station.

Come One, Come All, and Come as You Are!  Pro Bar opened a year ago inside of the Resort Casino Hotel.  Initially known as “Prohibition”, Atlantic City’s first LGBT nightclub invites everyone to join the festivities!  Patrons have a diverse selection of shows, games, and performances to choose from. Attend one, or attend all phenomenal events!

Bingo Brunch at Pro Bar

Guests are invited to come dressed at their favorite Diva as Pro Bar hosts the Resort Casino Hotels’ Believe: Divas in a Man’s World in between bingo games.  Prizes will be awarded to the best dressed Divas.  The distinctive Bingo Brunch will cap off the array of entertainment to be hosted by Pro Bar for the 1^st Anniversary of this exclusive nightclub.  The Bingo Brunch will be located in the Grand Ballroom at begin at Noon on Sunday.

Guests will have a chance to win up to $1,500 in the bingo events, including a coverall game valued at $500.  Following the Bingo Brunch, the Resort’s own female and celebrity show called Believe, is celebrating their 1^st Anniversary and will take the stage in a ravishing performance.  Five free Bingo games will also be played during this performance.  Additional new acts will be available in the Screening Room during this celebratory event as well.

Others Events at Pro Bar

The full schedule of events includes many intriguing ways to spend an evening, or afternoon, in which a fantastic time is sure to be had by all!  Following is an overview of the merriments.

Thursday: Customer Appreciation night – drink specials, giveaways, chance to play the Nearly Wed Game, and special appearance by Sordid Lives actor Jason Dottley.

Friday: The Piano Bar celebrates Grand Opening.  See Special performances by Comedienne Judy Tenuda and Matthew in the Screening Room Theater.

Saturday: Pro Bar presents Jason Dottley, Crystal Waters and DJs Sin Moreraa & Bianca.

Sunday:  Divas Bingo Brunch.  Bingo games, chances to win at bingo and Best Dressed Diva.  Bingo Brunch includes a free Mimosa or Bloody Mary for each guest.  Feature presentation by Believe: Divas in a Man’s World.

Indian Casinos under hot water!  Electronic bingo machines, considered to be class III games, are forbidden in the state of Alabama; however, this has not stopped Indian tribes from offering them in their casinos.  Attorney General Luther Strange requested that the federal government, who supervises Indian gaming, to outlaw electronic bingo machines at Indian casinos.

The Issue of Electronic Bingo Games at Indian Casinos

Strange already sent a petition to the National Indian Gaming Commission arguing that Indian Tribes cannot operate class III games, such as slot machines and table games, given that there is no legal agreement that allows it in the state of Alabama. Additionally, Strange claimed that the Poarch Band of Creek Indians offer identical types of gambling machines as the ones found in Atlantic City or Las Vegas.

Strange said the tribe is attempting to blur the line between class II and class III games and he believes it is a tactic to hinder the enforcement of the law. In addition, he claimed that under these circumstances, Alabama citizens are very confused with the situation given that they cannot understand how is it possible for Indian tribes to call their class III machines ‘bingo’ whereas gambling agents, under Alabama’s authority, cannot do this.

Furthermore, Strange directly blamed the federal government for failing to do anything to clearly establish and define the distinction between class II and class III games. Strange also said that, according to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, the machines offered by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians are illicit. Luther Strange, as well as former Alabama Governor, Bob Riley, have tried to close electronic bingo casinos on non-Indian territory throughout the state.

Deputy Attorney General Sonny Reagan also has an opinion on this issue. He said that this situation places the state in an indefensible position. On the one hand, some are trying to apply the law; while on the other hand, the National Indian Gaming Commission is not doing anything to carry out the needed regulations on tribal territories.

The Rights of the Tribe

The commission has not given Strange the authority to do something about gaming operated on Indian ground. Subsequently, Strange requested the commission to either apply the law that establishes the difference between classes II and III gaming or to give him the power to do something about it.

In response to Strange’s arguments, Daniel K. McGhee, Administrator of the Tribal Gaming Commission for the Poarch Creeks, affirmed to be sure that the tribe’s gambling machines are permitted by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. According to McGhee, Strange’s petitions are an attack on their sovereignty given that the NIGC does not have a problem with the Indian gaming. He said that Strange had previously sent a letter to the National Indian Gaming Commission making the same demands, however, Tracie L. Stevens, Chairwoman of the NIGC, said that the tribe could play electronic bingo as long as it respects IGRA’s class II gaming classification.

On the other hand, Strange’s demand has raised an intense discussion among online commenters. Some support Strange’s argument and some are against it. For instance, some have said that the Indian Creeks were given this land by the Feds and therefore they can do whatever they wish in their territory.  In contrast, some complain that Indians usually go beyond the law without being penalized. Time will have to pass until knowing the final verdict of this situation.

We’ve got just one work for the new Big Brother advert … WOWSERS. Oh, and maybe AMAZING too! Absolutely love the Olympic theme for the ad – it’s got us pretty excited.

What do you think? Vote in our poll below!

Take Our Poll

The results instead indicated that across the state, after cash prizes were paid and salaries and fees expended, approximately 5% remained as a profit margin.  The charities received the entirety of that profit. 

There was a second finding of the WOAI investigation:  The degree of success for bingo halls varies from one to another, and not all bingo halls are successful.  Sounds pretty much like any group of businesses in any industry.

Bingo: Fundraiser for Charity and Past-time for Americans

The history of bingo in the US began with fundraising, entertainment and social gatherings in churches and VFW halls.  They didn’t make much money, but people just love to get together and play bingo.  Your grandmother’s bingo is still the enjoyable bingo game for the players.  However, for the charities, it’s big business.  As WOAI pointed out, bingo took in over $700 million in one year, and charitable organizations received $34 million in profits.  That’s $34 million for fire engines, churches, schools, children’s extracurricular sports, and all of the other causes that benefit our communities. 

Charitable Bingo Laws

There are two forms of legal gambling in most states:  The state lottery and charitable bingo.  States have enacted laws that strictly regulate bingo operations.  Through licensing requirements, the business of bingo as a fundraiser is monitored.  Public information about bingo halls includes gross revenue totals and the amount of profit remaining after cash prizes are awarded, and salaries and fees are paid.

Bingo is an entertainment alternative.  Governmental smoking bans and competition from casinos are financially damaging to charitable bingo.  Nevertheless, bingo remains a robust industry. Web technology and media marketing have contributed to the complexity bingo as a serious fundraising mechanism.  By aligning with bingo halls, charities access the expertise and financial strength of gaming professionals.

Charitable Bingo in Texas

The Charitable Bingo Operations Division of the Texas Lottery Commission licenses organizations that are authorized and commercial ventures.  For marketing expertise, some charitable organizations turn to companies such as Littlefield Charitable Bingo Management Consulting, Inc. and Texas Association for the Advancement of Charitable Bingo.  The goal is to maximize the profit margin of the charities. A top profit margin of 17% was recorded in Ohio.  However, profit margins of 10% or less are the usual.  Some charities and bingo halls actually lose money.  This is an industry just like any other.

Contributions of Charitable Bingo

Charitable bingo helps support hundreds of sports clubs, veterans’ halls, orthodox churches and Catholic schools.  Bingo funds local VFWs and American Legions that assist veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan in their transition to civilian life. Monica Moloney, Assistant Chief of the Charitable Law office for the Ohio Attorney General summed up the present bingo industry in America by saying many people think of bingo as a low-dollar money maker but it is not.  It is a large money making business and many charities survive on charitable bingo funds. One church administrator in Ohio was happy to report that bingo has helped build churches.  In Texas, as the WOAI News found, bingo games continue to reap millions of dollars for charity.

The community of Kingston, Ontario focuses on gaming to help those in need!

The city council of Kingston, Ontario will be entering into an agreement with the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) to install electronic bingo games into two area bingo halls: Treasure Chest and Community Spirit. Kingston’s manager of licensing and enforcement, Kim Leonard said that it is great for charity groups as it allows them to raise more money with bingo.  The installation is expected to happen in the coming months.

Bingo For a Cause

Several dozen charities rely on the proceeds from the electronic bingo games already present as an experiment for the past several years at Treasure Chest located at Bath Road, and so the city and the OLG intend to make it a long-term installation. Linda Daigle oversaw the non-profit gaming experiment in order to raise money Marie Rivier School’s English language programs.  She said that she was skeptical at first but the funds made for electronic bingo have raised a lot of money and has become a great success.

According to Leonard there have been other sources of gambling that are available near the community. With the use of electronic bingo games there may be an increase in interest that is brought back to the Kingston community.  Bingo has been less popular of late, for a number of reasons, such as competition from Thousand Island charity casino and no-smoking rules. Modernizing bingo with electronic gaming machines will hopefully increase the game’s draw, especially among younger patrons, as well as increasing proceeds from sponsors.

The High Hopes for Charitable Electronic Bingo

The treasurer of the Kingston and District Civitan Club, Linda Keast, hopes that the new electronic bingo setup will bring in more than the $8,000 gained this past year from twenty games. Without the new setup, the OLG says that Kingston-area charity groups would gain $6.6 million over the next 5 years, in contrast with an estimated US$13.2 million  with electronic bingo. This is in part because the halls’ current capacities for charitable groups to host bingo games (122) will increase greatly. In addition, electronic bingo requires far fewer volunteers to oversee the gaming; where paper bingo required 12 volunteers, electronic bingo only requires 2 volunteers to walk the floors.

Kingston licenses charity games; as of now, the city gains $372,000 per year in gaming licensing, though that is expected to decrease to somewhere between $50,000 to $60,000 once electronic bingo machines are implemented, leaving a greater gain for the charities. Though counter-intuitive to some at first, officials predict a positive outcome from decreased municipal revenues because the shifted revenue-sharing model will alleviate the pressure on taxpayers and council members to allocate money directly to the charities.

Paper bingo will still be available to those who wish to participate, but in the coming months, the bingo halls’ floor spaces will be largely remodeled to feature a number of electronic bingo machines. The plan is for Kingston to enter into a contract with the OLG until June of 2020, with the chance to renew until 2028.

Drag Queen Bingo is No Drag! Sacramento’s three-year running Drag Queen Bingo fundraising program has been popular since its 2009 debut for the WEAVE charity in Sacramento and has been going strong ever since.  

Drag Queen Bingo is an exciting and unique festival of fun. This rollicking contest is the brainchild of Fred Palmer, the publisher of Outward Magazine and Rich Borillo and David Mansch, the owners of Hamburger Patties.  The event is hosted by Drag Queens enthusiasts Felicity Diamonds, Rusty Nails, Drag Queen and Do Me Moore.  Hamburger Patties continues to serve as the hosts since the very first bingo fundraiser.

Supporting the Gay Community with Drag Queen Bingo

To date, the event has raised an impressive $49,153 for non-profit organizations and charities. These include many organizations including:

• The Sacramento Ballet
• The Sacramento Gay & Lesbian Center
• The Sierra Forever Families Adoption Agency
• NORCAL Alzheimer’s Association
• HIV/AIDS cycling fundraiser
• CARES
• Sacramento Gay Men’s Chorus
• United Animals Nation and Sacramento Valley Veterans

More About Drag Queen Bingo Games

Drag Queen Bingo is both affordable and entertaining, at a mere $15 for 8 bingo games, and is also an excellent way to help raise money for non-profit organizations and charities. Guests can also feel free to order beverages or dinner from Hamburger Patties bar and menu at this 21 and over event.  Drag Queen Bingo is filled with rambunctious and fun customs.

For example, when the number O-69 comes up, players are encouraged to yell ‘shots, shots, shots’.  The restaurant accommodates them with a specialty themed $1 shot.  Another ritual is that the winner of each game is made to run through the aisles of the restaurants, wearing a blond wig, tiara and boa.  The losers of the bingo game are told to yell ‘pelt her all the way down and back’ as they eagerly throwing their losing cards at the winner.

Jennifer Lopez, Nicki Manaj, and Robyn dance, crack jokes, and call-out Bingo numbers for LGBT awarene

In an effort to raise awareness for the LGBT community at Drexel, FUSE (Foundation of Undergraduates for Sexual Equality), along with the Office of Multicultural Programs hosted an evening of Bingo, dance, and laughter on May 9.   The event was so much a success that the director of multi-cultural program, Kerry Hooks, said that she would like to see this event occur once a year or maybe more, perhaps for Valentine’s Day.  The evening included a dance-off between first round Bingo winners, puns and indecorous jokes, Bingo for all, and a lot of amusement.

Bingo Celebrity Hosts Stand Tall in High Heels

Three cross-dressed hosts, including freshman Ian Crumm as J-Lo, pre-junior Ajay Raghavan as Nicki Manaj, and freshman Kenny Wittwer as Robyn take the stage and MC Bingo, introduce the rules of Bingo, dance-offs, and entertain an eager audience.  Dressed to the hilt, in wigs, make-up, dresses, and three-inch heels, they stood tall in their stilettos, most of the time.  Each drag queen tripped once or twice, causing the audience to bellow with laughter. Wittwer, sociology major at Drexel, said that the FUSE members wanted to provide a fun way for people to do in commemoration of Pride Month which they celebrate in May due to finals and commencement.  They thought of Drag Queen Bingo, something extravagant that would spice things up and as it turns out, it was quite a success.

Jokes were plentiful throughout the evening as the drag queens would call out “O-65” and state as in “Oh, you’re 65?” or “B-9, that tumor is b-9!”.  They were able to keep the laughter flowing throughout the evening.  A dance-off was staged about halfway through the evening, as Bingo came to a halt and Robyn announced that they would play the song “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” as a tribute to Whitney Houston.  A few audience members even took the stage at that point.  The contestants for the dance contest included the first round Bingo winners vying for the prize – a Drexel folding chair.  One of the winners had actually come dressed in drag himself, and went by the name “Esperanza”.

The Evening Started with Laughter, and Ended with Laughter

Wittwer said that the Office of Multi-Cultural Programs has been working very hard all year to raise awareness or generate recognition and visibility for the LGBT community on campus.  By all accounts this event produced a success on that front.  Participants were able to play four or more Bingo games, watch the drag queens sing and dance onstage and were even encouraged to come up and dance with the trio.  A few audience members were even dragged, no pun intended, onstage to move to the beat.  Wittwer, a support for the LGBT community and FUSE member said that FUSE takes on a lot of responsibility and worked hard to make this event a success.

Wittwer says he had never dressed in drag before, but was hopeful that hosting this type of event would improve awareness, but also be fun.  Crumm commented about the heat from all of the lights and said ‘he was really hot’, and his feet hurt by then end of the night, but that he suffered through it to please the audience for a good cause.  Crumm said he had a lot of fun, as did Robyn.  The drag queens stayed onstage following the Bingo and Dancing, posing for pictures as the audience left the James E. Marks Intercultural Center.  Freshman communication major Chelsea Hahn said “This is good; this is hysterical.  It’s weird because I’m going to see Ian (J-Lo) tomorrow without a wig or dress.”