Letter to the Editor

Bingo profit all comes back to the community

To the editor:

Thanks for the front-page article about bingo in Monday's paper. Your reporter, Ray Owen, accurately described why people play bingo and the attractions of the new hall in Cape Girardeau. Stephan Frazier's picture showing a view from the smokers' side through the glass wall into the nonsmoking area illustrates the biggest attraction of Bingo World. At most bingo halls, the only thing keeping smoke out of the nonsmoking area is a thin rope. At our bingo last Friday, we had over 40 percent of the players sitting in the smoke-free area of the hall.

If you look closely at the picture you can also see a wide mix of players including some young people. I urge all people who have quit playing bingo because of the smoke to visit Bingo World any of the six nights we play. Playing bingo is affordable entertainment in a friendly, safe environment. As the article says, for $10 to $15 you can play bingo for three hours. Your money won't last that long at a riverboat. At bingo, all the profit comes back to the community through the charitable organizations that run the games.

LARRY LOOS

Chairman

Joint Optimist Bingo Committee

Cape Girardeau