Bingo is luck, winning, fun and the Lorton Volunteer Fire Department all rolled into one! The wild draw of Bingo in Lorton, VA is the pot. Every Monday and Friday, Bingo takes in mega bucks and hands out $10,000 to lucky winners. Week in, week out the Volunteer Fire Department is the place to go. The wife of Fire Department Chief Earl Curtis spends around $400 on each of the two Bingo nights, and she is the usual!
Lots of Money from Bingo Profits
That totals about $40,000 per year less whatever she wins. As the chief points out, it’s fortunate that he has a good retirement income. The good folks of Lorton have completely funded the Fire Department from the moment that it came into being in 1954 through the present. The Fire Department revenue is derived 100% from Bingo profits. Chief Curtis said that Bingo funds have recently paid for a med unit. The cost was $203,000. The next necessity to be purchased via Bingo will be a $750,000 squad truck. The chief figures it will take about three years for that one.
Chief Curtis views Bingo as an addiction. He believes that the people who throw their money on the luck of the numbers do not have the money to spend. If that is the case, one has to wonder how the cash gets into the pockets of the players in the first place. It appears that all of those players have an adequate income to participate in the entertainment of their choice, and sometimes, if not often, they walk away winners. The final jackpot holds $1,000. That pot also holds the interest of the players.
On a recent Friday, 33 games were played by 62 players over a period of three hours. These local gamers are serious about playing and winning. A $1,000 jackpot represents a lot of extras in any household. $10,000 in winnings on Mondays and again on Fridays stokes the thrill in all of the Lorton players. Most will go home happy winners, even though they probably spent more than they won.
Somebody’s Table
The corner table at the right side in the back of the room belongs to a player. Jean Kincheloe is a retired cashier. She worked for 30 years, and now enjoys two evenings a week playing Bingo. Kincheloe has taken loud possession of that particular table. Bingo is her game. Her three voice-activated laptops, holding up to 54 boards, take up most of the table; she and her bingo boards occupy the remaining table space.
$100 is the pot for most of the games. Winners can earn as much as $2,500 on some of the games. Whenever Kincheloe wins, her laptop is bathed in light and plays a jolly tune. $300 weekly is what she gladly pays for her Bingo entertainment. Kincheloe’s husband remains at home watching TV. She commented that she spends all of her winnings on herself. That lady gets a lot of joy out of Bingo!
Winning Big on the First Game: Entertained for Life
It seems that a lot of the local players who consistently return to the VFD are individuals who won large amounts their first time playing. Kincheloe won $5,000 during her first game 20 years ago, and her Bingo bond was formed.
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