Haven Activities Council (HAC) Bingo night’s have made quite an impression on campus the past few semesters. Ever since COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, bingo has served as one of the most popular events on campus, drawing in roughly 125 participants each month.
HAC’s bingo is held on the first Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. in the Parsons Union Building (PUB) Multi-Purpose Room (MPR). The night serves as a time for students to enjoy time with friends, listening to music, and of course playing bingo.
HAC’s most recent and last bingo night of the semester took place on April 6, in the PUB MPR at 7 p.m.
The line of students anxiously awaiting the night’s event trailed through the PUB lobby and out the door.
In reference to bingo night’s popularity HAC president Ben Adam said, “What I think drives bingo to the students is that it is simple to play and easy to join in.”
“We’ve always had big prizes. After the first couple, talk of it got out, people were talking about it, and success built upon success,” he said.
Every HAC bingo night features a total of three rounds. Students play off of paper cards while the HAC student workers use the digital software program Crowdpurr to call numbers. Each round begins with traditional bingo and then transitions to blackout, where players’ cards must be completely marked. Students are able to win three to 10 tickets during each round, depending on how early they win.
For example, the first winners of blackout bingo receive 10 tickets while the first winners of traditional bingo win five. The number of awarded tickets decreases to three as the rounds progress.
The ultimate goal of bingo night is to earn as many tickets as possible and win prizes. At the end of the night, students place the tickets that they have earned in raffle buckets for each prize they are interested in.
The larger number of tickets a student earns, the more likely they are to have their ticket drawn and win a prize.
Throughout the year, HAC has raffled off a Nintendo Switch, iPad, $100 Amazon gift cards, Squishmellows, as well as Dunkin, Starbucks, and DoorDash gift cards. Many students, like Mashfika Jahan, enjoy the chance of winning extravagant prizes and voice their motives for attendance because of the large prize offerings.
Students expressed immense praise and excitement for bingo night because of the overall atmosphere and offered prizes. Occasionally, snacks and drinks are provided to participants.
Adam mentioned additional reasons why bingo events are successful. He references the event’s consistency and how the event gives students something to look forward to every month. The bingo events also feature fun, energetic, and popular music that gets the crowd going.
Cleia Stern
Cleia Stern is a first-year pursuing an undergraduate in Exploratory Studies. She is a staff writer for the Eagle Eye. Cleia holds the 2022 GOODE Waterski National Overall Champion title, as well as multiple regional and state titles. Cleia’s passions include water-skiing, tennis, and weightlifting. Aside from her athletic achievements, Cleia hopes to pursue writing into the professional setting with dreams of publishing a collection of poems.
