Rotherham Pensioners Bingo Brawl

It was only recently that we wrote about two elderly ladies starting a punch-up at a South London bingo hall, and now it appears that the fad for fisticuffs is spreading up north as well. In late April 2013, the local police had to intervene when two female pensioners in their 60s came to blows in Greasbrough (near Rotherham) because one had allegedly called ‘House’ too early. The incident took place during a particularly intense game at sheltered housing, and the Rotherham North Area Housing officer was forced to call 999 at 6pm to report the scuffle. When officers arrived at the address, they were surprised to see the age of the brawlers, and a Police Community Support Officer commented that, “it’s not the usual type of call we get.” PCSO Simon Ellis says that the housing officer didn’t want the offending pensioner arrested, but was unsure how to deal with the situation. Both ladies were giving a strict telling off, and one of them has since been issued with a tenancy warning by the local borough council about her future conduct.

It seems has though 2013 has been full of whacky bingo news, after two elderly ladies went head-to-head at a bingo hall in New Hampshire, USA back in February 2013. It seems that one of the ladies didn’t take too kindly to the fact that the other was selling Avon products in the building and were seen “pushing ad shoving” each other during the dispute. In January, a 65-year-old woman from Sacramento, who was fundraising for her local high school, says she was attacked by the manager of a charity bingo hall after reporting that one of his staff was cheating during the game. In early March 2013, a US teenager was banned from saying the word “bingo” for six months after falsely claiming a full house for fun at a Kentucky club. Whilst you might think that’s a bit of a harsh sentence, the young man wasn’t even playing the game that evening, and had decided to randomly run into the hall with his friends mid-game for a giggle.

There have been plenty of readers’ comments on the Daily’s Mail’s website over the Rotherham story in particular, ranging from those who think it’s hilarious to others who are outraged. Do you think it’s acceptable for pensioners to come to blows over what’s supposed to be a friendly and fun game? How do you think bingo halls and the police should tackle these situations when they occur, or prevent them from happening in the first place?