Bingo for Charity

Bingo has for many years been the number one method of raising charitable funds all across North America, and is just as prevalent in most regions of Europe. Charity bingo games have been going on since the mid 1900’s, most notably for religious organizations, and it all started with the simple idea of one ingenious pastor.

The earliest form of bingo, 75-Ball bingo, was first introduced in 1929. It was more than a decade later that Pastor Charles H. Hagus had the brilliant idea to raise money to rebuild the dilapidated old building they were expected to offer church school services from; little more than a ramshackle foundation by that time.

Pastor Hagus was head of The Annunciation, a small catholic church in Denver, Colorado. He was forced to hold catholic education in a run down, abandoned schoolhouse, leasing the aged building for $50 a month. After years of funding problems, Pastor Hagus went to Edwin Lowe, the man who discovered, manufactured and marketed the game of Bingo, and asked to use the game as a way to raise funds for his church.

Lowe agreed and the success was instantaneous. Not only did Pastor Hagus raise enough money to refurbish the old schoolhouse, he purchased the Greek Orthodox Church in which they held the bingo games and moved the Annunciation into the new building, renaming it Hagus Hall.

Bingo Night became a weekly event in 1950, and suddenly religious organizations across the United States followed suit. It is for this reason that bingo is so commonly associated with churches and fund raising methodologies. The popularity of bingo for charity never slacked off.

Playing bingo for charity is just like playing a normal game of bingo. The only difference is that a percentage of the ticket sales is designated as a donation to the intended charitable organization. If 50 players each pay $5 to participate in a bingo game, instead of creating a $250 prize pool, maybe 50% would go to the charity, leaving $125 for the eventual winner’s prize.

A lot of celebrities are famous for participating in bingo for charity, especially in Europe. Robbie Williams, a British pop star, takes part in weekly games of Legendary Bingo in Los Angeles. Natalie Maines, lead singer of the Dixie Chicks, has been known to make a few appearances here as well, along with Paris Hilton, Tori Spelling, Daryl Hannah and Courteney Cox, who have participated in the bingo games themselves, and played the role of bingo callers at this weekly bingo for charity event.

Bingo games are often held to raise money for the most respected organizations, like the American Cancer Society, Habitat for Humanity, the Make a Wish Foundation, Voice for the Animals Foundation, disaster relief efforts, homeless and more.

Even online bingo sites have gotten in on the idea of hosting bingo for charity. Foxy bingo hosts a weekly charity bingo game in the lounge “Katie’s Charity Room”, so named for member Katie Price. All ticket sales in the online bingo lounge are matched at 50% by Foxy Bingo, going to such charitable organizations as the Disability Foundation.

So if you enjoy playing bingo, online or otherwise, why not carry the excitement of playing the game, as well as the heart-warming feeling of knowing that you’re assisting a valuable organization that benefits society simply by playing bingo for charity.

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