Area businesses do not want electronic bingo halls to reopen. They say it drives customers away from their businesses.
Some local charity bingo halls are back open for business after Tuesday's ruling by Jefferson County Judge Vance.
You would think the bingo business would create additional foot traffic to all the surrounding shops and restaurants. But the owners we spoke to say, it's had the opposite effect.
For twenty years, Ronnie Glenn has owned and operated La Rue's Jewelers and Pawn Shop in Forestdale. His pawn shop sits next the remains of a former booming bingo business.
"Around 3:00 in the afternoon even the owners of the bingo place would park in front of my door and there were no parking places for any of my customers."
"People that were spending 30-40-50 dollars a night playing bingo weren't buying anything," says Glenn.
Since Bama Bingo closed this month, Glenn says his business has seen a drastic change.
"Since it's closed down it's increased," Glenn says.
Bama Bingo isn't the only empty bingo hall in the area. Less than a half a mile away are two other empty bingo halls. Their closure had a positive effect on a local restaurant.
"Oh yeah, the parking lot was packed, people all around hard to get up to our business so it's greatly improved," says Kevin Kinnison with Little Caesars Pizza.
Other business owners we spoke to shared the same feeling: less bingo traffic, means more foot traffic to their shops.
That's good for the bingo business, but what about the businesses around the casinos? Does bingo help them or hurt them?
