Bingo: Station Casinos hoping an old game can attract a young crowd

Players get pumped up at their table by live DJ music during electronic bingo at Green Valley Ranch on Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2014.

In an attempt to lure young gamblers, Station Casinos is turning to what may seem like an unlikely game: bingo.

Long the domain of the elderly, bingo rooms may not seem like an attractive location for millennials to gamble. But Station thinks a new approach to the game may make it a hit among them.

After a reportedly successful turnout at a similar event last month, Station hosted a millennial-minded bingo event at Green Valley Ranch on Tuesday night. The lights were dimmed, the music was blaring, the alcohol was flowing and, yes, the young people were playing.

The event, which Station tellingly marketed with the tagline “not your grandmother’s game,” was all-electronic. Players had to put down $25 for an electronic bingo board, and they won more than just cash — each time someone correctly shouted “Bingo!” they were also rewarded with shots of alcohol for themselves and their tablemates.

A DJ kept clublike tunes blasting all night, so players could dance to songs like Nicki Minaj’s “Starships” while the game progressed.

Station Casinos Party Atmosphere Bingo

Jessica Camacho reacts to the wrong number being called for her to win at bingo as Station Casinos at Green Valley Ranch offers a more Launch slideshow »

Station isn’t totally going out on a limb in thinking it can make bingo attractive for young people. The New York Post wrote in August about the Standard Hotel and others hosting bingo events geared toward young players.

The Green Valley event still turned out a fair share of older players, but it was a decisively younger crowd than a typical bingo room.

Jessica Camacho, 30, was one of the players. She said she likes playing bingo, partly because “your money lasts longer” than it does in other games, and she found Tuesday’s event appealing.

“You want other people to win, which is so weird in bingo because usually you just want to be alone to win, but now you want someone to win close to you so you can get the shot,” she said.

Steven Apodaca, 28, agreed.

“I definitely think this could bring in the younger crowd,” said Apodaca, who won $100 and a restaurant gift card. “There’s shots involved, there’s great music (and) a lot of cool vibes going on.”

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