Grand Oaks Bingo Hall
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — The county has authorized Bingo since the ’70s, with profits going towards charities, but last year bingo sales dropped by millions.
Grand Oaks Bingo Center on Auburn Blvd in Citrus Heights, CA is in the Beach California section(s) All Other Amusement And Recreation Industries. The map of Grand Oaks Bingo Center shows the approximate location in Citrus Heights, but you should call them at phone number (916) 723-2320 to verify their address is 7919 Auburn Boulevard, Citrus Heights, California and to get hours. Grand Oaks Bingo Center. 831 likes 9 talking about this 9,406 were here.
While some halls, like Grand Oaks in Citrus Heights, are doing great, others are having trouble filling seats.
READ MORE: 'Bizarre, Belligerent Behavior': Traveling Nurse Working In Grass Valley Arrested 3 Times In 2 Days“I’m a bingo fanatic,” said Barbara DeCarlo, who doesn’t miss a Friday at Grand Oaks Bingo.
She’s been playing Bingo there for 20 years.
“When I hit bingo I’m ecstatic!” she said.
But she’s a little hesitant to say just how much she spends.
“I don’t want to do that, I’m incriminating myself. My husband watches Channel 13,” she laughed.
But as the bingo balls drop, so too has the overall attendance numbers at bingo halls across Sacramento County.
Last year, gross receipts dipped by nearly $4 million. Attendance plummeted by almost 40,000 players, and as a result, prize payouts have dropped 19 percent.
“We need people coming in on certain days to play Bingo,” said Paul Colbert, the charities manager at Grand Oaks Bingo.
So what could be causing the drop?
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Grand Oaks Bingo Hall
While the charities manager believes casinos are to blame, Barbara thinks it’s also the aging population.
“They are just passing away,” she said.
All money raised for bingo goes towards charities, and the stakes are high.
Bingo Halls In Sacramento Area
“Without this bingo hall here I think these charities would be no longer,” said Colbert.
Mesa Verde High school boosters said they raised close to $200,000 for scholarships and fundraisers.
“Helps fund uniforms for basketball and cheer, soccer and so forth. It helps find books,” said Coventry St. Mary, President of the boosters club.
You only have to be 18 to play, and supporters believe it really helps out.
“I think it’s kind of the idea that it’s an old person’s game, but it’s really not. Anyone can play and everyone enjoys it,” said Sacramento State Student Brittany Luckett who helps volunteer at the Bingo hall, which helps her pay for college.
Grand Oaks Bingo Hall
As for Barbara and her friends, they’ll keep coming for as long as they can yell, “Bingo!”
Grand Oaks Bingo Twitter
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The workers at the Bingo halls are all volunteers and proceeds go towards several other charities.