The Program Council hosts bingo night Wednesday February 8th.

     On February eighth, Sam Houston State University’s Program Council held the monthly bingo night in the Lowman Student Center’s Orange Ballroom. Bingo night has been a yearly and monthly occurrence at Sam for years.

      A game of chance drew in a large crowd on Wednesday night. Nearly every chair in the Orange Ballroom was filled and several students sat on the floor. Students ate complimentary popcorn and some brought their own snacks. Attendees varied from freshman to senior students.

     Players had the opportunity to win prizes including a massage gun, vacuum cleaner, Stanley cup, an oversized wearable blanket, cooler, speaker and a miniature fridge. To participate, attendees provided a valid student identification.

      Megan Miller is a sophomore majoring in criminal justice at Sam Houston. February’s Bingo Night was her birthday night. She spent her evening at Sam Houston’s Bingo night and won a vacuum cleaner.

     “I did it all the time last year. Bingo is one of my favorite on campus events,” says Miller.

     The vacuum cleaner was won with more competition compared to the other prizes. After the final number of the round was announced, multiple people claimed they had a bingo. The announcer encouraged students to shout “BINGO!” The crowd was less than timid when achieving a bingo.

     The four winners participated in a four way tiebreaker. The confirmed winners placed a ticket in a drawing to quickly determine the winner. Miller ultimately won the prize. She says it was birthday luck.

     Kate Jackson, a freshman majoring in psychology at Sam Houston, won an electric massage gun. Jackson agrees with Miller’s opinion that bingo is a fun campus event.

     Jackson says, “I have played two other times. I like bingo and I was trying to make friends… and I did. So I just keep coming back. I am happy I won.” Jackson’s new friends cheered for her when she won the prize.

     The games consisted of more than five rounds. Each player received a pamphlet of bingo cards containing six bingo card sheets on every page. Every player had six cards per round. To prevent cheating, there was a limit of 1 pamphlet per person.

     As the announcer shouted each prize, the room filled with the voices of excited and competitive students. One table of players voiced their unanimous enthusiasm for the wearable blanket prize. Other tables shared their want for the Stanley brand cup.

     The competition was stiff and every prize was highly sought after.

     The scheduled event ran ahead of schedule and ended fifteen minutes early.

​​The announcer advertised the next PC event, Build-a-Bae, on February 14th, where students can build a stuffed animal in honor of Valentine’s Day. This event will take place in Parker Plaza from 11a.m. to 1p.m.

     According to the university’s event schedule, the next bingo night will be held virtually on the 28th. The concurring in person event will be the first Wednesday of each month . Students interested in more can find the updated schedule at events.shsu.edu.