Ovation showroom makes way for bingo

Green Valley Ranch Resort has transformed the former Ovation showroom to offer one game the community had been asking for — and bingo was its name-o.

“We had guests asking for this over and over again,” said Glen Meadows, the corporate director for bingo operations for Green Valley Ranch Resort, 2300 Paseo Verde Parkway.

Rather than having guests play bingo at Sunset Station or the South Point, a non-Station Casinos property, the company decided to add a 400-seat room for its players.

The room, which opened May 13, also has a non-smoking and smoking section to further cater to its clients.

“We had quite the crowd already,” Meadows said.

Station Casinos’ history with bingo began in 1976 with Palace Station, formerly known as Bingo Palace.

Bobby Dean has seen the game take off in the 35 years he has worked for the company.

“Before Bingo Palace, there were few properties around town that offered bingo,” he said.

Dean said it made sense for the company to keep expanding its gaming options.

“Growing up in Las Vegas, I used to think we were called the entertainment capital of the world because of all the top-name entertainers,” he said. “But it’s more than that. Entertainment is also table games and slots. It is what people are able to do in their free time and spend their discretionary income on.”

Bingo, Dean added, was part of the growing face of Las Vegas’ entertainment dominance.

When the casino changed its name from Bingo Palace to Palace Station in 1985, bingo remained a staple of the company’s offering.

As Station Casinos began to expand properties, it took the community’s enthusiasm for bingo with it.

At some point in time, each casino added a room to keep up with the demand for the game.

“I believe it was Boulder Station that also opened without a bingo room,” Dean said. “Within six months it was added there.”

Dean added that it is typical for properties to open, then weigh in on what the guests want before making additions.

“They check to see if the revenue flow is there,” he said.

Dean said bingo has been attracting people to properties ranging from Aliante Casino, a former Station property, to Red Rock Resort. Green Valley Ranch Resort is the latest.

Meadows said the company has worked with bingo vendors throughout the years.

The new room was able to get the latest version of some of its bingo items from computer monitors to the technology that links each property to a jumbo jackpot.

For more information, visit stationcasinobingo.com.

Contact Henderson/Anthem View reporter Michael Lyle at mlyle@viewnews.com or 702-387-5201.