By Roslyn Ryan
Editor

Bingo may have its own rules, its own special markers—called daubers for those not in the know—and even its own lingo. But the fact that bingo games require cold hard cash to keep running means that organizers face the economic struggles everyone else does.

With no end to the trouble in sight, local organizations that rely on weekly games to raise money are facing tough times as well.

“Our game is declining and meeting our charitable obligation is becoming more difficult,”said Deb Clements, president of the Powhatan High School Band Boosters, a group that holds weekly bingo games at the Powhatan Rescue Squad building near the courthouse.

While the cost of supplies has gone up, says Clements, the fees to play the game have stayed the same. It takes around $800 a night for the group to break even, once they’ve paid the cost of rent, security and other expenses. Consider the fact that the average number of players coming through the door has dropped from around 100 to 60 in recent months, and it’s easy to see why Clement is concerned.

Over the holidays, she said, when people’s extra money was diverted elsewhere, there were weeks when they just managed to break even.

Not only are fewer people coming to the games, but the amount those people are spending has dropped off as well. Clements says they have seen a significant decrease in the number of instant win tickets during the games, which has traditionally made up a large portion of the nightly profit.

Powhatan Band Boosters bingo isn’t the only game in town that’s feeling the pinch. Up the road at the Powhatan Moose Lodge, the Tuesday night bingo gatherings have become less crowded.

Moose Lodge member Jack McCauley says attendance has been trending downward for the last six months. It’s that way at all the Moose Lodges he knows of, McCauley says, and everyone tells the same tale. Fewer players, fewer instant cards bought, and the struggle to decide when the endeavor just isn’t worth the work.

Julie Garber, who oversees the band boosters’ games each week, says demographics may help explain why bingo games have taken such a hit. Many of their players are on fixed incomes, she says, and have been forced to give up the games as food and gas prices skyrocketed in recent months.

Still, she says, the news isn’t all bad. “It has definitely slowed down, but we are holding our own,” she reported last week.

Garber said the monthly $1,000 jackpot night still draws a good crowd. The group has also been considering adjusting the pots to try and get more players in seats.

The group has even decided to hold “$1,000 February,” next month, during which the jackpot every week will be $1,000.

McCauley, for his part, isn’t ready to give up either. While he said last week that he doesn’t expect the economy to show any improvement any time soon, he is also counting on a certain level of loyalty from the hardcore bingo faithful to keep the games afloat.

Some people will always play bingo, no matter what, he said. “It’s like a drug. It’s addictive.”