The Port Alice Lions Club has taken a classic in-person activity and successfully moved it online. Faced with closing and cancelling many of their other stand-bys, a new member suggested bingo, but make it COVID-safe.
The club loved the idea, so Tammy Lee got herself a home bingo cage and built a table-top platform with colour-coded spots for each number. Every day she tapes her phone atop a task lamp and films herself drawing the numbers, and uploads the video to the Lions’ Facebook page for all the players to check their cards.
The first one to get a black out wins.
October was the inaugural round; Lee sold about 60 cards for $5 a piece, splitting the pot evenly between the winner and the Lions Club. November raised even more, totalling $490, or 98 cards. There’s about 30 people playing, so most of them have a handful of cards in play.
Rounds begin on the first Monday of each month, when Lee pulls 30 numbers to get things going, then four numbers a day for the first week, and then three a day until someone wins.
The club has a licence from the B.C. Lottery Corporation for a year, so Lee plans to keep offering tickets until interest dies down. Games are open to anyone in the Tri-Port area. She’ll even deliver the cards if you register early enough.
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