Paterson | New Jersey, New Jersey

Home to over 146,000 residents, the town of Paterson is known for many different things. Known as the "Silk City" for its dominant role in silk production in the late 1900s, Paterson has continued to be a thriving town. It's one of the most southern towns in the Passaic County and has notable, industrial ties to First Founding Father, Alexander Hamilton. While this town is known for being corporately concrete, it does boast the 77-foot Great Falls of the Passaic River. This introduces extra tourism and natural aesthetics to the otherwise industrial town.

Where Can I Play Bingo in Paterson, New Jersey?

Wondering where the bingo halls are in New Jersey? Even in the smallest towns on the New Jersey map, BingoPort has you covered! Often, bingo halls are built purely to only host bingo, or, similarly, a bingo hall can choose to rent out the space for other social events around the bingo game time. Other times, like in Paterson, New Jersey, bingo isn't held in a bingo hall per se, but rather buildings like fire departments, churches, and community centers. While it can make the availability a little less achievable, it makes it easy to locate for the public, as well as often being in great spots for surrounding establishments. Paterson's local bingo games are held in St Gerard Roman Catholic Church, and as Paterson is a major destination for Hispanic residents, the church's website is extremely inclusive and has Spanish translations of all information on its website.

What Happens During a Bingo Game?

So you've found your local bingo hall in Paterson--but what happens if you're new to the bingo scene? It's super daunting going into a new place where there's already an established community of people and in a local venue where different rules might be in place surrounding the game. Don't worry! BingoPort also has you covered for that! A lot of bingo halls open their doors 1-2 hours before the game starts. This is to either sell tickets, give an opportunity to socialise, as well as let players grab a drink or snack before the games start. Sometimes, if the teams are big, or there's a lot of players booked in for bingo, you might be assigned a particular table! This way, you won't have to worry about being split up from anyone you came with. Similarly, if you're a solo player (as many people are when it comes to bingo to amp up competitiveness) then you'll be with other solo players on a table. The layout of either multiple tables or a couple of long, fold-out tables, ensure that players can mingle and chat and nobody will feel left out or secluded. If you're walking into a community of players who already know their surroundings, this is perfect. It won't be too unnerving. Once you've taken your seat, the game will begin. A host--or caller--will draw numbers randomly, calling them out each time. The first available win is a single line--either horizontal or vertical. After that, it's a race to a full house, where all your bingo numbers are crossed off. If you're that lucky full house winner, call "Bingo!" loudly to stop the game! The host or caller will check your bingo card against the numbers they've called out to verify your win! After several games, a break is usually implemented which means another chance to grab refreshments or have a smoke break, before the next games begin!

How Do I Pick a Bingo Hall to Visit in Paterson, New Jersey?

It's really quite easy when you come to BingoPort to look up everything in your itinerary for bingo! BingoPort can show you where you can play bingo locally in places that include food, smoking areas, if there's accessible parking, etc. If you're someone who wants to give back to the community and help fundraise, you can search specifically for bingo games to pay steeper fees in order to win a prize. If you're someone who wants to fit bingo around something, you can search for specific game times. Maybe you don't finish work until 5pm but want to quickly make it to the 6pm bingo game across town? BingoPort can show you an address of the bingo venue to make it easier to navigate from any location you're at! The website can tell you if it's near to public transport, and if you can grab a bite to eat nearby before heading in! In Paterson, there's only one place for playing bingo locally and it might not meet your specific criteria but don't fret! BingoPort will also show you bingo halls in the surrounding towns, too!

What Makes a Bingo Hall Good?

Many people have different wants when it comes to their bingo games. Good for you, specifically, might mean it has a designated smoking area. It could mean there's hot snacks rather than cold ones. A good bingo hall could be extra space within the hall itself. Alternatively, a good bingo hall could mean good for you when it's packed full of people who met virtually through Facebook pages for the bingo event. As bingo is non-profit in New Jersey, the events are held by volunteers--and a lot of them have opportunities to apply to be a volunteer. So if that makes a bingo hall good for you, then check that out! You could always play one week and volunteer the next, expand your bingo horizons? Perhaps for you a bingo hall must have accessible parking or nearby links to public transport. This can make any bingo hall go above and beyond for a lot of people who don't want to worry about parking, or buying a parking spot for a small duration of the evening. Accessible parking eliminates the worry of coming back from a fun few rounds of bingo, only to find there's a parking ticket because there was no public parking lot for the venue. That's definitely a major element to making a bingo hall good. In Paterson, the bingo hall is St Gerard's RC Church, and has a very generous parking lot.

Gambling and New Jersey

Since the state made it legal in 1976, gambling is a very open, liberal pastime in New Jersey. It was legalised to make Atlantic City a new, unique development in order to boost revenue. However, while the law got passed, the boundaries of gambling were quite strict. Across 23 casinos, sports betting wasn't legal until 2018. This meant casino halls were incredibly popular due to table games and slot machines. Since 2013, no online gambling or betting could be done unless the company owned a registered physical store. Sports betting only became legal in 2018 but gamblers who like to bet their money in sports still can't bet on college sports or an away game for New Jersey teams.

Interesting Facts

Paterson has the one of the largest population for Muslim residents in the whole of the US, along with New York and Pennsylvania.
Alexander Hamilton, first secretary of the treasury of the US and one of the first Founding Fathers, helped found a society to enhance Paterson's economy. The society was called Society for Establishing Useful Manufacturers, which founded Paterson, which, in turn, became a large part of an industrial revolution.
The Great Falls of Passaic River is 77 feet long and is the main source of power for a lot of industries and corporations in Paterson.
Paterson has a political friendship with Italian city Montescaglioso. To honour the friendship, Paterson has a road called "Montescaglioso Street", while the Italian city has "Avenue Paterson".
Paterson is the birthplace of Ron Cephas Jones, who is the father of Jasmine Cephas Jones. Jasmine played dual parts of Peggy Schuyler and Maria Reynolds in the original Broadway production of HAMILTON. As Paterson is a town largely connected with Alexander Hamilton, the connection is quite interesting!