Bringing Bingo Back
Reading Time: 2 minutesUVUSA’s most attended event each semester
UVUSA celebrated its pride week with the semi-annual Bingo Night, Jan. 19 in the Grande Ballroom. It is one of the most widely-attended events of the semester. Over 500 people were there and a value of $2,000 in prizes were won.
Although Bingo night has a stigma of being a common game in retirement homes, the opposite is found at UVU.
“Even though bingo seems like a very chill activity there was definitely much suspense and excitement from the students,” said Lauren Ashton, vice president of student activities for UVUSA. “We had students lined up an hour before the event began so they could get seats right up at the front near the stage.”
Multiple numbers are called, but only six bingo prize winners are chosen during each session. Two two-hour sessions with six rounds of prize-winning bingo makes this a nail-biting event. Prizes won this semester included Chick-Fil-A gift cards, wireless Beats headphones, an Apple Watch, a semester-long parking garage pass, a 50” smart TV and a Baja cruise for two.
“The anticipation had built so much that all the students were on their feet throughout each round and you could hear people cheer in excitement every time one of their numbers were called,” said Ashton.
When bingo has been called, it is expected at UVUSA’s Bingo Night that the winner scream “BINGO” and sprint to the moderator on-stage. Sometimes students get bingo but aren’t fast enough to outrun the other bingo winner from across the ballroom.
“The best and saddest part of the night was when a student thought they had won the cruise and was turned away,” said George Banner, public relations chair of UVUSA and a student attending the event. “I have never seen a crowd more happy for someone else’s failure. Everyone was on their feet screaming. The energy was electric!”
Students with official UVU ID’s were admitted to play, but only enrolled UVU students were eligible to win. From hover-boards, to UVU basketball swag and from XBOX 360’s to a trip for two to Disneyland, it has all been won at UVUSA’s Bingo Night.