For God's Sake, Play Bingo Games!

In God We Trust!

People play Bingo games for all sorts of reasons. The oldest reason, however, is the Church. In the early 1930s a priest from Pennsylvania approached Robert S Lowe, a toy salesman with a request: get people to play Bingo games to help raise funds for the church. The rest, as they say, is history.

Ever since, Bingo has become the single largest source of fundraising for the church. As with any fundraising event, churches advertise this event to keep people informed. Most churches have a fixed day of the week or month for their fundraiser. The priest reminds mass congregations of the event a few days in advance, or the clergy sends out flyers giving details of the date, venue and timing.

Those who come to play Bingo games, usually carry some food to donate. The local businesses contribute some merchandise for the jackpots. Certain churches in Jacksonville are so famous for their great Bingo nights that people from the neighboring towns come visiting to play free Bingo games. Lots of people play Bingo games to keep in touch with friends and make new ones.

In 2001, a controversy erupted over whether it is right for the church to encourage its parishioners to play Bingo games to raise money. As it is considered as a form of gambling, the legitimacy of fundraisers was challenged by the Rev. John-Mary Tompkins during a Lenten homily to about 1,500 Catholics.

While the controversy continues to rage, people continue to play Bingo games and the church continues to raise money.

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