Dear Editor,

I’ve heard and read “bingo” and the definition by different judges and others until I had to write to you.

I’m quoting this from Webster’s Dictionary: “Gambling — the art or practice of gaming for money or anything valuable.”

Now, with this said, you tell me what’s the difference between bingo, dominoes, the Booster Ball and the sale of raffle tickets. You could also include cake walks, since you pay to take a chance to win at any of the above, couldn’t you?

How much money was raised at the domino tournament this month? Didn’t each player pay a fee to enter this game in order to take a chance to win? Of course they did. The same goes for the Andalusia Booster Ball, held each year at the country club. If you want to win a cake at any of the schools during Halloween, you have to pay to stand on a number, don’t you? Isn’t that taking a chance to win and putting money up first?

Come on people, if you pay money for a raffle ticket in order to win a gun from the sheriff’s department, you are gambling, and it doesn’t take a judge or rocket scientist to figure it out. There is no difference between buying lotto tickets and raffle tickets, nor is there a difference between playing electronic bingo and playing dominoes. If you feed the kitty to play, that’s gambling.

So for all of you churchgoers, who a lot of you stop off in Florida and buy lotto tickets (I’ve seen you), get off your soap boxes. If I choose to spend my money to take a chance to get even more, regardless of the odds, I should have that right. I don’t believe that you or anyone else should choose or select the ways to gamble, when all of the above mentioned is also gambling.

Now, is betting gambling too? Well, I would be willing to bet $100 that my article will tick off a lot of your readers. Do I have any takers? You know, betting and gambling has been around for thousands of years. If you don’t believe it, read the Bible. Even God makes a bet. If you don’t believe me, read the book of Job. Case closed.

Duane O’Neal

Andalusia