Our View: Recent raid shows that electronic bingo in the Birmingham area remains murky territory

State police raided a VFW bingo hall in Roebuck Monday. Early-morning patrons at a VFW bingo hall in Roebuck weren't thrilled when state police showed up and started hauling off the electronic gambling machines.

[Vfw closed Bessemer]

vfw bessemer was bingo hall was closed last night, maybe this is a good thing when you have to put 40 dollars in to get a spin on average.
The funny thing about a machine is we counted 2 hundred and eighty seven push's and no spin this is alot of money to not get a return chance at 90 and 300 dollar's a shot.

I have played many duck machines and unless you have 40 dollars at 90 cents a push you risk nothing as a give away than a chance to win something.
This is happening in many Bingo halls not just Vfw, it is the machine opperators program so why not fix it.

[close them all]

close them all

[Vfw closed Bessemer]

The facts are people don't gamble to win, it is so they can play more.
I went to a Bingo hall and when I went to cash my ticket of $4.79 I was given back $4.00 and was told they do not give change, now that is theft and nothing I could do about it at the time.

Also a manager at a bingo hall said the machine can run out of 15 free spins in the program if it has been played alot, once again if this is true what he said this is theft once again.

The social issues have not come out as yet with the people who have lost thousands or 10s of thousands just to have a chance at winning a game that the odds are with the house.

Alabama, Bessemer, Fairfield, Brighton, Jasper will have Gamble crimes from people who want to feed the habit, and will rob people to do so, or fraud just for a chance to play more.

People need help to deal with the addiction... After all it is only as game$$$?