Earlier this year we got nostalgic for the game of bingo and found some spots where we could play across the city. But little did we know that the game had a dark side. Today, the Daily News explores the seamy underbelly of bingo, where "younger, often unemployed" players are gambling away their life savings in order to make ends meet!
"You play to win. And if you win you can pay back bills," explained one 31-year-old elementary school teacher who plays weekly at the underground Washington Heights Arcade, inside of the 181st St subway station. The big winnings are enough to keep struggling gamblers coming back for more—one laid-off administrative assistant says she stays up until the wee hours playing a rented computer board to win enough to pay part of her rent. "Down here it's a whole other world most people don't know of," explained another player, Margaret Porfidio. "It's mostly senior citizens but, at the end of the month, the age drops off....Maybe the Social Security check runs out."
My, that does sound dangerous and addictive!
