Bingo going bust in NY

Ashley Hupfl, Journal Albany Bureau;

Younger generations are choosing casinos and flashy slot machines over sitting in churches and centers waiting for a chance to yell "Bingo!" Over a four-year period, bingo attendance, revenue and the number of organizations running the games have dropped sharply, a review of state records by Gannett's Albany Bureau showed.

As New York and neighboring states expand gaming options — and with new ones on the way — bingo is going bust. The charitable organizations that rely on the games to raise money said they worry they can no longer draw people in, hurting their bottom lines.

"People tend to like more excitement in their gambling dollar, whether it's the penny slot machines that have themes to them from anything to 'Star Wars' to 'Wheel of Fortune,'" said John Sabini, former chairman of the state Racing and Wagering Board. "Bingo is much lower tech then people seem to want from their dollar."

From 2009 to 2013, the number of players attending bingo events dropped 64 percent from about 2.4 million to 890,208. The number of organizations that host bingo events dropped 73 percent from 786 to 214, and bingo revenue fell a whopping 70 percent — from about $70.9 million in 2009 to about $21.4 million last year.

http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/story/news/local/new-york/2014/06/07/bingo-interest-drops/10181737/