Fight For Your Right to Bingo
Fight For The Right To Bingo
The United Kingdom is one of the more liberal countries in the world to live. This reflects our national ethos of helping those less fortunate than ourselves and respecting other people's beliefs - within reason. Ergo, gambling in the UK is legal for those over eighteen, and it is the responsibility of the player to gamble within their means. Whether a person's passion is for horse racing or for free bingo, the legal framework is there to let them enjoy their hobby. Other countries, however, are not so liberal when it comes to gambling laws.
The United States is the self-styled 'Land of the Free'. Free indeed, as long as your passion is not for bingo. Federal law is that which is all-encompassing, covering all fifty US states. However, individual states pass their own laws. Thus, what is legal in New York City is not necessarily so in Alabama.
Bob Riley - Alabama's Republican governor - created a task force on illegal gaming, which is now responsible for the closure of two of Alabama's most popular bingo halls - Victory Land and The Oasis. As bingo is one of the most popular pastimes in the area, it is small wonder that protesters took to the streets in a show of support for their favourite game. Protesting outside the Alabama State House and brandishing placards denouncing Riley as a 'Lame Duck' governor, pro-gamers were confronted by anti-bingo religious types who claimed allowing the hotels to stay open and provide facilities to play bingo would herald the end of the world.
Like ay campaign desiring of success, the protest saw the appearance of acclaimed country music artist John Anderson. He said, 'Today is a big day in the sense that it's not really who's for or against, it's a matter of letting the people vote for the issue whether they want it or not.'
While the shouts of the protesters have so far fallen on deaf ears, Anderson's words are particularly relevant. The issue of bingo is hardly as controversial as abortion or free health care, yet it is the issue upon which Governor Riley has chosen to wield his axe. The recent uplift in taxes on bingo in the UK was enough to form protest groups, hinting that any attempt by any party in Downing Street to ban the game would probably result in full scale revolution.
Fortunately for bingo lovers everywhere, such a travesty is simply not going to happen. While American bingo players can boast that freedom is written into its constitution, this debacle proves that in many ways it is still far behind its big brother.