Bingo pb 6/28

Bingo jackpot climbs to $4,000

By Callie Chitwood

Daily American Republic

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- What better way to celebrate the Fourth of July than winning $4,000? Area residents will have an opportunity to do just that Sunday during a special Community Development Bingo game at the Black River Coliseum.

"Someone will be a very happy camper when they walk out of there with $4,000. And they'll certainly be able to celebrate the Fourth in style," said Louie Snider, director of Poplar Bluff Community Development Corp.

Community Development regularly sponsors Bingo games at the Coliseum, but they've upped the jackpot this Sunday in honor of the Black River Festival.

"This makes it a major event during the Fourth, because of the size of the prize. There's going to be more people interested in it and it will become an important part of the Festival," Snider said.

According to Snider, the $4,000 is guaranteed - numbers will be called until someone wins.

"The doors will be open at 10 a.m., and we'll begin our first Bingo game at 1:45 p.m.," he said.

"The $4,000 game will be the last game of the afternoon," Snider said. "There will be other games. In fact, we'll have another progressive game that will be a $2,750 35-number game, with a consolation prize of $1,199." Community Development has held Bingo games in Poplar Bluff for the last six years.

"It's a fund-raising program for the Poplar Bluff Community Development Corporation," Snider said. "In fact it is our only weekly funding operation. Other major funds come from private individuals." "We held the games at the Eagles Club for several years, and we've had it at the Coliseum for the past two years," he said. "The attraction that we have at the Coliseum is the amount of room there, it can house hundreds and hundreds of players." "We strive to give out bigger prizes, bigger jackpots," Snider said. "We pay more money than almost any game in the state of Missouri. We have one of the highest paying games in the state because we have the facilities to do that in." "People come from all over to play. Of course, they'll already be here for the Festival and then they can go to the concert in the evening because the Bingo game is in the afternoon - right in the heat of the day," Snider said.