There are over 150 gambling establishments operating under the title "Bingo Hall", offering games of chance for a cash prize, in the State of New York.

Many of these operate in otherwise "family friendly" locations such as churches and American Legion halls where our children are often exposed to gambling for the first time.  Many of them will see it as a fun, and even wholesome activity. This makes Bingo the Gateway Drug to a crippling gambling addiction for many of our children.

This illicit business targets our own mothers and grandmothers, preying on them for a slice of their often limited fixed income.

Where Bingo is played, Bingo related crime often follows:

• 82-year-old arrested for slashing tires over bingo
• Player charged in Bingo theft
• Suspect arrested in Florin Road Bingo Hall burglary
• Brooklyn Bingo Hall Running $4M Illegal Gambling Ring
• Bingo addict murders 80-year-old man
• Two indicted on murder charges in fatal shooting outside bingo hall

Bingo addiction is a real problem that is often overlooked in our country, but is an all too common sight in these unregulated Bingo Halls where an elderly Bingo addict can often be seen playing multiple cards at once, desperately hoping for a chance to win.

• Bingo Addiction

As a pure Game of Chance where players buy-in with cash for a chance to win cash, Bingo is clearly in violation of state gambling laws, and we the undersigned urge Eric Schneiderman, the Attorney General of the Great State of New York to investigate and to put a stop to this menace of legalized Bingo.