The last bingo numbers have been called for the Orillia Geneva Bingo Charity which had been operating in Orillia since 2008.
Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday bingo nights resumed back in February after being mostly shut down during the pandemic. The Royal Canadian Legion Orillia Branch 34 hosted the once popular bingo nights.
“Attendance has been just awful,” says Orillia Legion president Rick Purcell. “COVID killed us."
During the pandemic, Purcell says people found new ways to play bingo and stay busy. Before COVID, bingo nights were attracting almost 130 people a night.
“When we re-opened, we struggled to get even 40 people out,” he said.
Bingo proceeds raised went to support eight different youth sports organizations such as Orillia Legion Minor Baseball (OLMB), community organizations and community festivals like the Scottish Festival. In the prime of the bingo nights, each charity would receive up to $600 a month.
“I think the last cheque was $97,” Purcell said. “Now they are going to get nothing.”
Attendance was good on Wednesday nights, Purcell says, which has the Legion already working on how to bring bingo back for the one night a week.
“The way it’s set up with the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario, it’s a pooling bingo and we can’t operate just one night a week,” he said. “We will probably change the games slightly and maybe change the prizes slightly.”
Purcell says it’s important to try and revive bingo for seniors who are devastated by the closing of the Orillia Geneva Bingo Charity.
“For a lot of senior women, this was their night out,” he said. “They are going to lose out on coming to meet with their friends socially.”
Purcell says some people come to bingo for the money, but others come solely for the social aspect.
“This is going to hurt some people,” he said. “They aren’t going to have that social tool, which is a shame.”
OLMB president, Wes Winkel, says it’s disappointing to lose the means of fundraising provided by the Orillia Geneva Bingo Charity, but he understands the decision.
“There are only so many avenues for youth sports to fundraise and that was one of the ones we used,” he said. “It’s one of those casualties of COVID.”
When fundraising efforts would amount to $600 a month for OLMB, Winkel says it was a big deal.
“There were times when there were literally dozens of players playing baseball from families who couldn’t afford to play because of that money,” he said. “Over the years it petered out and in the last year it really went down.”
