Alyssa has been friends with Lauren and Erica for over 20 years. Since then, they’ve moved to different homes, started families, and worked at a variety of jobs, but it always comes back to the “three musketeers,” as they call themselves.
Between a busy career and running to soccer games and dance classes, Alyssa, now 40 and married with two kids, still finds time for a girls’ night out with her two best friends once a week, usually at a restaurant. That’s why Alyssa was surprised when her friends suggested going to bingo. After having second thoughts, she met her friends the next Thursday night at a Charitable Bingo and Gaming Centre.
Alyssa couldn’t believe the fun they had. “We had fun! The place looked great; it was really bright and modern. There was plenty of food – always a big priority for us – and it gave us a chance just to relax, play some games and have some laughs.”
Since that first visit, the three have become weekly regulars.
There’s a Whole New Experience Waiting for You and Your Friends
To preserve this nostalgia while attracting new customers, the Ontario Charitable Gaming Association (OCGA), the Commercial Gaming Association of Ontario (CGAO), and Ontario Lottery and Gaming (OLG) have worked hard to bring bingo into the 21st century. In addition to classic bingo games (such as paper bingo, paper break-open tickets, and instant tickets), Charitable Bingo and Gaming Centres offer a wide variety of modern games with innovative technology and graphics, such as eBingo, TapTix, and Play On Demand (POD) games.
In eBingo, the electronic version of bingo, customers can enjoy the game, not on hard static cards but on interactive, entertaining touchscreen displays. Other innovative enhancements include TapTix, a device that offers customers an exciting electronic game, and POD games that give customers a chance to win by playing additional games on their own between sessions.
With these enhancements, customers find the games easy and quick to pick up. “You don’t have to be a video game whiz to play them,” says Karen, a regular customer. “The games have all the usual rules, but they’re done with modern visuals and touch screens that make the games much more fun.”
In this way, OLG’s technology brings bingo customers the best of both worlds, offering both the traditional paper versions and faster, exciting digital formats.
Good Times for You
The three friends are just a few of the thousands of
customers who have rediscovered the fun and
excitement of the game at Charitable Bingo and Gaming Centres across Ontario.
The anticipation of winning is a thrill shared by customers of all ages; however, that’s not the only reason. Bingo players often use their weekly game as a chance to connect with their friends, sisters, mothers, and grandmothers – often all together – on a regular basis.
Lauren also likes the value of bingo nights. “When we used to go out to a restaurant or club, it would cost us easily over $100. But with bingo, a night out can be as little as $25, including a bite to eat.”
No matter what draws customers to the game, all bingo players agree that Charitable Bingo and Gaming Centres set the stage for a night of fun, suspense, and laughter with friends and family.
Good Things for Your Community
In addition to the chance of winning and the technological innovations, the idea of giving back to the community draws many to the game.
In fact, many customers insist the best part of playing bingo at Charitable Bingo and Gaming Centres is knowing that they’re helping support important charities in their communities.
“Bingo is a game with a real community spirit,” says Alyssa. “It brings people together to play it, and it brings them together to help the community.”
To date, Charitable Bingo and Gaming Centres across Ontario have given back to their communities more than $80 million.
These annual contributions have generated tremendous support for:
• After-school programs and school councils
• Medical centres and associations
• Children’s groups
• Music, arts, culture, and community performing arts groups
• Food banks
• Athletic clubs/associations and youth sports
• Humane societies and animal shelters
• Neighbourhood and community services
• Health, disability, and rehabilitation
• Children with disabilities