Sun City Center historians have discovered a 1967 Tampa Tribune photo of 330 SCC Bingo players; that’s 50 years ago. Back then, the venue was the Community Association Central Campus Old Town Hall; now, it is Community Hall. Enter the hall on any Monday evening and it’s evident that the players are just as mesmerized with the game as they apparently were half a century ago.
This CA-sponsored activity is managed by a team of 36 volunteers co-chaired by Jan Love (September through May) and Karen Marmon (June through August). For each CA Bingo event, 12 volunteers are needed—three at the door, two callers, two verifiers and five more to tend to the tickets, money, etc. All proceeds go right back into the games for prizes and expenses.
The games are open to CA members, visitors with a CA guest card and Kings Point members. Among the 245 who braved the elements July 10 was June Krueger, a Kings Point resident. “It’s excellent for the mind. I play here on Monday and Kings Point on Thursday and Saturday,” she said. Krueger has played Bingo since first moving to SCC 28 years ago.
“It’s nice to see people enjoy themselves. They bring their snacks and drinks to enjoy with their friends. If I win, I consider it a bonus,” said Marmon. “ Like Marmon, Treasurer Linda Nolder said she loves to play in such a friendly atmosphere. “If I had a choice of only one activity, I would take Bingo,” she said.
The CA games are played with discs and reuseable cards to keep the cost down to $1 for two 5-by-5-inch cards. For players with low vision or difficulty manipulating the discs, 8-by-8-inch cards are available. These larger cards are pretty ingenious in the way a little window slides down to cover the numbers so no discs are required.
Bingo is thought to be of Italian origin, with roots stretching back to 1530, and changed as it traveled from country to country. Bingo as we know it today was popularized in the U.S. by Edwin Lowe, a struggling but enterprising toy salesman from New York. In 1929 Lowe observed a game called “Beano” at a country carnival in Atlanta, Ga. When a player completed a line of numbers, he or she would stop the game by yelling “Beano!” and that player would win a small prize. The game was called Beano because players used dried beans to mark their cards as the numbers came up.
Lowe saw that players were captivated by this new game and was spellbound himself, so he took it back home and introduced it to his friends. During one game, a lady got so excited by her win that she blurted out “Bingo!” instead of the accepted cry. And just like that, Bingo was born. “Lowe’s Bingo” became a sweeping success, and by the mid-1930s, Bingo games were popping up all over the country. It was known to be easy going and fun and became a popular small stakes gambling game mostly used for fun at home, charity and other events.
Surveys show that Bingo players come from all walks of life, and although most regular players are over the age of 45, Bingo is being discovered by young people every day as a new way to socialize. In fact, CA President John Luper said, “I play Bingo with my grandchildren now and someday it could be them playing here after they retire. Bingo is one of those games that will always be popular in the SCC community.” For information, email Karen Marmon at twolaker@aol.com.