If anyone knows the trends of bingo, it's George McNees.
The Grand Rapids native has managed the local hall at AMVETS 126 for 20 years now, and he wasn't afraid to admit that some of the stereotypes are true. This includes the motley crew of gray-haired, chain-smoking rabble-rousers that swarm to one of Michigan's 97 registered halls on a nightly basis.
"We get a few of the younger crowd," said McNees, whose hall offers bingo seven days a week. "I think the younger ones start off with their mothers and stuff like that. The ones that start playing really get hooked on it quick. Right now, bingo isn't really a big drawing card for them."
Ok, so MTV probably won't be launching a reality TV show anytime soon about a group of five strangers picked to live in a house and hit bingo halls every weekend for nights of unabashed low-stakes gambling.
That doesn't mean the youngins aren't playing.
Take that same game, mix approximately 10,000 blinking lights, loud music and some booze, and the classic game is catching the eyes of millennials.
"Bingo is accessible to younger people, but I think kids like to go to the casinos because there is more excitement than there is at a bingo hall," McNees said.
Thus is the trend for area Soaring Eagle and Firekeepers casinos, which both offer the game. Soaring Eagle's bingo facility, which is housed in a separate facility from the casino, ranks as the largest in Michigan, offering a number of promotions and twists to liven the games up.
Clint Hill, the director of bingo at Firekeepers in Battle Creek, said the younger crowd is becoming more involved because they get the most bang for their buck.
"It's starting to go with the younger players now because what it costs to play," said Hill, who has managed halls for 14 years. "They realize how it doesn't cost a lot to play but they're getting a lot of time for their money."
At Firekeepers, a player can spend as little as 26 bucks and win up to $10,000 in a night's session. Hill said he brings in a good crowd on an average night and it spikes when the prize board increases.
Church charity and lodge bingo are regulated on how much money can be used for payouts, limiting how much cold hard cash a player can pocket. Casinos don't face those constraints, Hill said, and the younger group is taking notice.
Add to that the fact that this is no longer your grandmother's bingo.
"It gets the younger crowd because the more stuff we offer at bingo," Hill said. "Now, we can have cocktails and play bingo at the same time. We have electronic bingo, just like playing bingo on a computer and you can use that and play cards at the same time. It's more of a looser atmosphere."
But through it all, bingo remains a classic game with painfully simple rules and an opportunity to shout loudly in a crowded room without being reprimanded.
"There are so many different ideas you can use from game to game to make it exciting," Hill said. "Plus, the money it offers, makes it exciting."
Firekeepers Casino
11177 Michigan Ave. E, Battle Creek
firekeeperscasino.com, (269) 660-5722
Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort
2395 South Leaton Road, Mount Pleasant
soaringeaglecasino.com, (989) 775-7777
