Bingo halls are popular venues for gambling, especially among seniors. The games are often fixed, with the winners predetermined before play begins.
Despite the prevalence of fixings, there is no national database of bingo hall incidents. In some cases, whistleblowers have turned in fellow players, but enforcement is spotty.
Despite the lack of national data on bingo hall incidents, it is clear that fixings happen with alarming regularity. The National Gambling Impact Study Commission found that approximately one-third of all gambling activity at U.S.
casinos and racetracks is fixed. Bingo halls are a particularly vulnerable venue for corruption because players are often isolated and lack the means to monitor their own play.
The prevalence of fixings has prompted calls for tighter regulation of bingo halls. However, lawmakers have been hesitant to impose stricter rules out of concern that they would drive business away from legitimate bingo halls and towards illegal gambling operations.
In the absence of better regulatory options, whistleblowers may be the only way to expose and stop fixings from happening in bingo halls across the country.
