"We will show you how to safely gamble, bet and play online."
B. Paul, Editor, Bonusgambler.com
|
Halloween bingo heist leaves about 90 players shaken
Marty Mowl thought it was a Halloween prank.
The president of Eagles Lodge 687 in Washington, Pa., was calling bingo just after 8 p.m. on Monday when a man strolled into the crowded lodge wearing a "Scream" mask.
"I saw him walk in, and he just looked like someone coming to play bingo who happened to be wearing a Halloween costume", Mowl said. "But then we realized he wasn't dressing up for fun. He was serious".
Mowl, who was standing on a stage in front of the room, watched the masked man raise his right arm and fire a shot into the ceiling. Some of the more than 90 people in the bingo hall leaped to their feet and ran. Others dived under the tables, or pulled out their cell phones to call 911.
Mowl stared in disbelief. The robber -- wearing a long black gown and the black and white mask made popular by the "Scream'' horror movies -- walked to the office and ordered two workers to fill a bag with the night's proceeds. The man then walked back into the bingo hall, fired another shot into the ceiling and left with more than $3,000.
"Everyone was really scared", Mowl said. "It was the strangest thing to see that a guy walked in here in a costume and then robbed us".
"No one was injured in the Halloween heist", said Washington police Chief John Haddad.
Mowl said," witnesses couldn't describe the suspect.
"The lodge has hosted bingo games Monday and Saturday nights for the past 45 years, and about a hundred people typically attend", Mowl said.
"Players shell out $32 to play for the night, and jackpot winnings range from $100 to $1,200", he said.
The bar at the lodge was busy Tuesday afternoon and buzzing with conversation about the previous night's robbery. Mowl said that the regular Saturday night bingo game will go on as planned.
"I don't know if people will be too scared to show up or not, but we've had bingo here for 45 years, and we're not going to let one guy in a mask with a gun stop us from having it again", Mowl said.
Source: BonusGambler.com Editors' Choice
|
Gambling Help Resources:
