Tuscaloosa | Alabama, Alabama

Where will I find bingo in Tuscaloosa, Alabama?

Possibly due to its high student population, the only place to play paper bingo in Tuscaloosa is in a bar. The Houndstooth Sports Bar hosts bingo every Thursday night from 8pm and Moe's Original Bar B Que hosts their popular bingo on Monday nights from 10pm. These are prize bingo sessions, so no cash prizes are permitted. If you want to try your luck at winning gift cards for local businesses, bar merchandise, as well as tickets to concerts and sporting events, you'll have a great night playing bingo at either of these venues.

How does prize bingo work?

Unlike traditional bingo in a local bingo hall, the kind of prize bingo you'll find in a bar is far more relaxed. Find a seat anywhere, ask the bartender for some cards, grab your favourite drink and some food and enjoy. Bingo games all work much the same. You have a card with a 5x5 grid of numbers and as the caller calls the numbers, you mark them off on your card with a pen or a marker. The first player to complete a pattern or the full card calls bingo and takes the prize. You typically receive a card for buying a drink or some food, but some venues might charge an extra fee. When choosing where to play prize bingo, it's a good idea to find out what prizes are on offer, what it costs to enter (if anything) and how many people you'll likely be playing against.

Which bingo venue is best in Tuscaloosa, Alabama?

When playing bingo locally in Tuscaloosa, it's all about the atmosphere. It's a college town and the bars are lively 7 nights a week. It's only Monday and Thursday night that you'll find bingo though, so where you choose to play really depends on which day you want to play. Monday night bingo at Moe's Original BBQ is a great way to start the week and if you work in hospitality, Monday nightlife is something you're probably used to. It's a relatively late start at 10pm, but there are plenty of drink specials to keep you entertained and 50c wings from 7.30pm to 9.00pm to keep you fed. If Thursday night is more your thing, you'll find a live DJ to keep you entertained during the Houndstooth Sports Bar's Bingo from 8pm every Thursday night.

What's the secret to a great bingo venue?

In Tuscaloosa, it's all about combining a night out with the excitement of bingo. It's bingo for a college crowd, but if you enjoy wings and beer and whiskey and bbq, you'll love it no matter what your age. These college bar bingo halls offer some great prizes, including cooking appliances, televisions and audio equipment, not to mention meal and drink vouchers, free concert and sports event tickets and more. It's a great way to add some excitement to an already enjoyable night out.

Gambling in Alabama

Gambling laws have been a hot topic in Alabama for many years and even now, debate rages over the legality of electronic bingo machines. Electronic bingo aside, traditional paper bingo is legal in most counties in Alabama, but for charitable purposes. The type of prize bingo played in Tuscaloosa venues sits outside the realms of gambling, as there is no cost to play and the prizes are not in the form of cash.

Interesting Facts

• Tuscaloosa was named in honor of the sixteenth-century Chief Tuskaloosa, combining the Choctaw words "tushka" or "tashka" ("warrior") and "lusa" ("black"). It was known as Tuskaloosa until the early 20th century. This is also the origin of the Black Warrior River, which runs alongside Tuscaloosa.
• Tuscaloosa's University of Alabama campus is the site of Bryant-Denny Stadium, which hosts the university's Alabama Crimson Tide football team and holds 102,000 spectators.
• On April 27, 2011, Tuscaloosa was hit by a 1.5 mi (2.4 km) wide tornado that ultimately took the lives of 64 people and caused $2.4 Billion in damage. It was at the time, the most devastating tornado in terms of financial damage, in US history.
• Mercedes-Benz U.S. International's assembly plant is located 20 miles west of downtown Tuscaloosa and contributes significantly to the economic strength of the area.
• In 2011, Tuscaloosa was named the "most livable" city in America, tying Tallahassee, FL at the U.S. Conference of Mayors meeting in Baltimore. Tuscaloosa was honored for its Pre-K Initiative, which helps academically at-risk four-year-olds achieve at a higher level.