Las Vegas Bingo Rooms Breath Sigh of Relief At No New Year's Violence
added 02.01.2012, 9:41AM
The crazy, chaotic and sometimes violent shenanigans of an ugly new breed of bingo player has been well documented in the gambling media, with this reporter leading the charge. 2011 was an unprecedented year of mayhem and criminal behavior in an area of the casino better known for placid bluehairs quietly frittering away their children's inheritance. 'Thug bingo' was one of the major gambling stories of 2011 and the casinos that hadn't closed their bingo rooms in its aftermath were braced for a particularly ugly swansong to 2011 and start to 2012.
The good news? It was quiet. "Almost" as one veteran bingo observer observed "too quiet." Despite preparing for a 'copycat' incident inspired by the wanna-be gang bangers meele at the Mall of America in Minnesota there were no arrests at Las Vegas bingo rooms over the New Year's Weekend and very few incidents of any sort. One run down off strip property found a couple of soiled adult diapers left in a potted plant near the bingo room, but that was the exception to a very peaceful norm across 'Sin City'.
Casinos had reinforced their bingo rooms with high security touches like guards with UZI's and bomb sniffing dogs expecting to head off the malfeasants at the pass. By the end of the evening, however, the 'hired guns' with automatic weapons had long ago left to more volatile parts of the city and several of the dogs were snoozing in the sports book. Speaking under condition of anonymity, one casino manager sounded a hopeful tone for the start of 2012:
"Last year was hell in the bingo room. We had expected the worst to start the New Year. Hopefully things will get back to normal in the bingo rooms and things will be nice and quiet again. I've got an uneasy feeling though. I'm afraid 2012 could be even worse."
That comment could be prophetic. Thanks to contacts in the bingo underworld, I was about to make the acquaintance of a man I'll call "Gustavo" who is a self described "organizer" of what he likes to call the "Bingo Resistance". Gustavo says that 2012 is going to be an even more chaotic year than 2011, at least in the bingo room. There are also plans to, in his words, open up a 'new front' in what he insists is a righteous battle against the forces of greed and indifference but to this reporter seems more like just plain old fashioned rabble rousing.
It's no wonder with such horrendous behavior on display at land based casinos everywhere that online bingo is becoming increasingly popular. If Gustavo is correct, 2012 should be a banner year at online bingo sites.
