Photo by Marlin Levison
Move over grandma. The classic game of bingo is finding fans among a new generation that likes partying as much as playing. Star Tribune, February 2013
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The room goes dark and music blasts. Then tiny dots of red and green neon dance across the walls, while a line of people snake out into the lobby at Mystic Lake Casino in Prior Lake.
Cosmic Bingo is about to begin.
“I have a good feeling,” said Cynthia Raymond, 18, about winning one of the $100 jackpots at this late-night bingo session.
The first-time player and her friend Haley Gazda are feeling lucky. As Raymond debates which song request to tweet to the DJ, Gazda jumps and catches one of the glow-in-the-dark necklaces flung into the screaming crowd.
Bingo has left the church basement.
It’s left that sedate setting for more raucous surroundings — from casinos like Mystic Lake to bars dotting the Twin Cities metro area. Along the way, a younger, louder clientele has wrestled those colorful daubers away from the gray-haired crowd, sometimes leading to a culture clash. Still, bingo emporiums say, the new blood is helping to reinvent this aging game. Read more