MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A south Alabama bingo casino will get rid of some electronic and table games under an agreement announced Thursday with the state attorney general’s office, which had argued it was an illegal gambling operation.
Our karaoke and trivia shows have resumed following the covid-19 outbreak! Make sure you check our karaoke and trivia shows web pages for updates on re-start dates for these shows. Center Stage Bingo is located at The Crossing on US Highway 231, 10 miles South of Dothan, Alabama. The agreement reached between Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall and Houston County Economic Development Association will allow HEDA to provide bingo entertainment at Center Stage within the.
Alabama had contended Center Stage in Houston County was operating illegal gambling devices, similar to slot machines and last year brought a civil lawsuit against the establishment. Under the settlement agreement, Center Stage, agreed to get rid of table games and any “electronic game of chance.” Center Stage can stay open and keep traditional paper bingo and other games that comply with state law.
“It is my duty as attorney general to enforce Alabama’s laws and to prevent individuals and organizations from offering illegal gambling in our state,” Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said in a statement. “As a result of the state’s suit, (Center Stage) has agreed to remove the games in question and has agreed to change its operations to comply with the law.”
The Houston Economic Development Association, which operates Center Stage, had argued the games were legal. But the agreement settles the case, which was scheduled to go to trial this month.
HEDA attorney Ernie Hornsby said Center Stage will remain open.
Hornsby said Center Stage will continue to offer paper bingo. He said current video terminals will be reprogrammed so that they are games of skill and comply with Alabama law.
In addition to video games and paper bingo, Center Stage had operated table games that it said were versions of bingo. Center Stage agreed to get rid of those.
The settlement is the latest development in Alabama’s long-running legal dispute over electronic gambling. The attorney general’s office has moved to shut down multiple facilities, arguing the electronic bingo games are illegal slot machines and not was what intended by state laws allowing bingo to be played as a charity fundraiser.
We are the Central Valley Lil Warriors Bingo, and we have been providing the world’s best in-person bingo experience here at Center Stage in Beaver County every Tuesday and Thursday for more than 30 years.
However, on account of the Covid-19 pandemic, we have had to get creative in the way we operate in 2020. That means creating the same quality experience in a virtual format, which is exactly what we now offer in our “virtual bingo” sessions.
Virtual Bingo Information
In order to make sure that we comply with all Pennsylvania bingo laws, our virtual bingo experience starts with allowing customers to purchase a physical computer that acts as a proxy for their presence here at Center Stage for a specific bingo session.
You are buying the same physical computer that you would purchase if you were actually here playing in-person with us, and that computer is able to play bingo for you whether you are actually sitting in front of it or not.
Then, in order to make the experience just as enjoyable for you at home, we are able to provide you with the serial number to that computer, which you can use to load a virtual screen allowing you to see exactly what that computer is doing at any time throughout the night.
Those serial numbers are posted to bingospreadsheet.com every bingo night around 7 pm. Customers can grab their number there and then head over to watchmycomputer.com to load up their screen.
And, of course, you can also follow along with the live stream straight from the bingo hall on Facebook Live at bingofacebook.com.
How to Order a Computer
To order a computer for one of our VIRTUAL BINGO events, all you have to do is make a $38 donation. That’s it. We made the whole process simple!
Your $38 donation will automatically sign you up for a computer in our next bingo event!
Virtual Instant Tickets
We have also added the ability to play instant tickets virtually by selling them in bulk packs and then opening them for everyone in our ticket opening sessions on Facebook Live at bingofacebook.com.
We have been selling these tickets over the phone at 724-774-2718 from 4 -9 pm most weeknights.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do I locate my receipt of purchase for my computer(s)?
A: The receipt of purchase for your computer(s) can be located in the email account that you used when purchasing through our website.
***NOTE: If you can’t find it in your Inbox, it may be located in your Spam mail.***
Q: How do I view tonight’s live bingo session?
A: Step 1. Go to www.bingofacebook.com.
Step 2. Scroll down and locate the Facebook Live video around 7:00pm tonight.
Q: Why does the Facebook Live I’m viewing seem BEHIND?
A: If you go out of the Facebook Live window for any reason (i.e. to answer a call or text, to look at something else on your device) or manually PAUSE it, the Facebook Live session will pick up where it was when you left. You must do the following to bring yourself current:
Step 1. Click on the actual Facebook Live video.
Step 2. If the video does not say LIVE in RED OR there is a fastforward option when you return, then you are behind.
Step 3. Continue to click on the LIVE button until the LIVE in the top lefthand corner is RED.
Not LIVE:
LIVE:
Q: How do I find my computer serial number?
A: Step 1. Go to www.bingospreadsheet.com.
Step 2. Locate and click on the Assigned Computers tab on the page.
Step 3. Scroll through the alphabetized (by last name) list until you find your name.
Q: How do I view my cards on my computer(s) at home?
A: Step 1. Go to www.watchmycomputer.com.
Step 2. Plug in your computer serial number (find it at www.bingospreadsheet.com: under the Assigned Computers tab).
Step 3. When viewing multiple computers, you must open a new browser page for EACH computer.
EXAMPLE using Chrome:
- Open Chrome, then hover your mouse over the user icon in the upper right hand corner. Then click on ADD.
- Enter a username of BINGO 1.
- Open a new tab in your browser.
- While on the second tab, then repeat step one and then enter a new username of BINGO 2.
- This second tab will then be displayed in its own window under its own username. You will no longer see multiple tabs open as now the PC will see BINGO 1 and BINGO 2 as two different users and two different instances of the browser running.
Player would toggle back and forth by clicking on one of the multiple Google icons in the tray at the bottom of the window. Player would repeat as necessary for the number of packages they purchased.
Q: My home computer has a number or numbers lit up in GREEN. What does that mean?
A: If you are viewing your cards on www.watchmycomputer.com, the number(s) that are lit in GREEN are numbers that you are set for.
Q: My home computer said BINGO. Why wasn’t I honored with a payout?
A: If you login into www.watchmycomputer.com in the middle of a set, the software will start on the first game of the set, often causing your home computer to say BINGO because it is still reading the single bingo, not the actual game currently being played. This is why all payouts are based off of the physical computers in the hall.
Q: How do I view payouts/winners for tonight’s bingo?
A: Step 1. Go to www.bingospreadsheet.com.
Step 2. Locate and click on the Payouts/Winners tab on the page.
Q: How do I purchase instant tickets?
A: Instant tickets can be purchased on the same website that you use to purchase a computer, www.centralvalleybingo.com. The links to click on for the tickets are directly below the links to purchase computers. TICKETS ARE ONLY SOLD IN PREDETERMINED PACK AMOUNTS.
***NOTE: Ticket boxes sold may be different for each instant ticket sale. The box selected to be sold for a particular day will be announced on the centralvalleybingo.com website.***
Q: How do I view today’s live instant ticket session?
A: Step 1. Go to www.bingofacebook.com.
Step 2. Scroll down and locate the Facebook Live video around 1:00pm today. Top 20 online casinos.
Q: How do I view payouts for tonight’s ticket sales?
Center Stage Bingo Pavilion
A: Step 1. Go to www.bingospreadsheet.com.
Step 2. Locate and click on the ”Ticket Name” (ex. Triple Trolls) tab on the page.
Q: If I win, how do I collect my winnings?
A: Winners will be paid by check through the mail with those checks being sent less than 24 hours from the date of the bingo/instant ticket sales.
Center Stage Bingo Cottonwood Alabama
REMINDER: Online viewing of computer cards is only a convenience for customers. All official bingo results will be determined by the physical bingo computers here at Center Stage.