Bingo back in business with P.E.I. Vax Pass

'It's slowly coming back as people come back'

Image | Bingo balls

Caption: 'They just can't wait to get back,' says Jerry Hartz. (Brian Higgins/CBC)

A bingo hall in Charlottetown says it has hit the jackpot with the vaccination passport.
Parkdale Sherwood Lions Club Bingo hit an attendance record Sunday with 110 people in the hall.
"Because the double vax pass came in, people are starting to feel more and more confident and they're starting to come out," said Jerry Heartz, a Lions Club board member who helps run the bingo.
Lions Club had to shut down its bingo facility for a while last year due to physical-distancing restrictions. Revenues for the charity fundraising venture came to a screeching halt. Numbers have been climbing slowly since the facility reopened in January, and now that the vax pass is in place fundraising revenues are arching upwards.
"Bingo customers are very loyal," said Heartz. "They just can't wait to get back."

Image | Jerry Hartz, Parkdale Sherwood Lions Club

Caption: 'People are starting to feel more and more confident,' says Jerry Heartz, Parkdale Sherwood Lions Club. (Brian Higgins/CBC)

For the love of bingo

The vax pass has changed the way Lions Club volunteers run the bingo hall.
Players now make reservations and book tables in advance. Lions Club keeps a list of customers who've shown their pass, so they don't need to check them every night. With the addition of 20 names last weekend, that list now stands at 294 names.
Love of bingo may be the reason some of those people are double vaccinated.
"You stay at home basically bottled up, or you do it, and get it done and make it safe for everyone else," said Heartz.

Image | Lions club bingo vaccination required

Caption: Patrons now book ahead to reserve their tables. (Brian Higgins/CBC)

The bingo hall on Valley Street is crucial to fundraising efforts by the Parkdale Sherwood Lions Club. It generates about 95 per cent of the more than $200,000 the club gives to local charities each year, according to Heartz.
"It's slowly coming back as people come back," said Heartz.
Seating capacity in the bingo hall is currently capped at 200 people. Chairs and tables remain well-spaced. Face masks are required only when people leave their seats and are moving around the room.
Hot food at the snack bar is expected to return next month.