Murphysboro Bingo players are quickly running out of places to play! The Murphysboro American Legion hosted their last game of Bingo last Friday night, according to Legion Commander Tom Lawless.
"It is just not what it used to be," said Lawless. "We have not been getting the people that we used to."
Lawless said a combination of economics and fuel prices may have played a big part in the reason the number of Bingo players is so far down.
Lawless said the Legion may try to bring Bingo back in the future sometime if it is possible. The American Legion has been hosting Bingo for more than 30 years.
The American Legion is not the first place to stop hosting Bingo games in Murphysboro.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) stopped hosting regular weekly games a long time ago and, more recently, the Knights of Columbus closed the doors to their Bingo Hall more than two months ago, according to KofC member Richard Will.
Will said the KofC has been hosting Bingo in Murphysboro for more than 15 years and may try to start up again sometime in the fall. Will also cited low player turnout as a reason for shutting the games down.
Merle Evans, speaking for the Murphysboro Elks Club, which has been hosting Bingo for about 12 years, has a bit of good news to pass on to Murphysboro Bingo players.
"We have been pretty steady," Evans said, "not nearly what we would like it to be, but still very steady."
The Elks club, located on Shomaker Drive in south Murphysboro, hosts Bingo every Monday night except for any Mondays that fall on major holidays, said Evens.
"We have no intention of going anywhere and anyone that wants to play Bingo should come see us," said Evans. "It is a lot of fun and a very friendly atmosphere.
Bingo at the Elks is held every Monday from about 7 p.m. to 9:15 p.m.