There are 8 Sts. Leonidas, 2 Kings Leonidas, 1 Snapper Leonidas and 1 Poker Player, as they say the more the merrier. Unfortunately it is not me. Probably one of my students in the American School of Dealing, just across South Point Casino.

You swiped him easy did you?

Kidding aside I never played any casino games not even a slot machine. My father one day beat me up with his belt for watching a bingo game at the parlor when I was about 8-9 years old - I thanked my father for keeping me out of "Terribles".

The bingo game was played with pingpong balls - 75 in total, then there was a catcher on top of the big basin below with a 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 iron grid, the ball would bounced back and forth several times and fell into the square with the number.

The players used sea shells, pebbles, corn grits, seeds and some times they have regular round cut out wooden pegs to mark the numbers.

The bingo cards were screwed with white plastic on top into the very long wooden table which forms a big square or rectangle with attached wooden board to serve as the seats for the participants.

The operator took 25% of the take and 75% will be awarded to the "bingo winner". The percentage take varies from one town to the next town - they are very popular form of gambling in the rural areas in the Philippines especially in the Visayas. They are legal and licensed by the local government - for games in town fiesta. Now they are illegal and they cannot compete with the multi-billion illegal gamling of the "jueteng."

I am not aware is there is a study made on the game, the social values and other cultural features - negative or positive of the game.
I know there was no "snapper" marker used.

Sorry for the digression into this 'kid story'.

t.y.