‘It sucks that it’s come to this’: Carnival Bingo says no more free parking for Raiders fans

“On our Friday and Saturday evenings especially, which tends to be Raider nights, we’ve had up to 100 people not being able to access our hall, which is very important for the charities,” they explained, adding most of the hall’s proceeds go back to the charities working that day.

“We’ve been trying to make alternative solutions where they can still use some of our parking lot, but not at the cost of our patrons not being able to find a spot to park.”

The spokesperson said ongoing issues with how some vehicles were parked also factored into the paid parking decision.

“There was no courtesy with how they were parking. They take up lots of spaces that our patrons could be using, and they were all over the grass, in access lanes, and double parking – not even double, more like triple parking to the point where people can’t even move after bingo and they have to wait for Raider fans to leave.”

Parking at Carnival Bingo will now cost $10 per vehicle, with up to 60 spots available for Raiders fans. Three of the lot’s five entrances will be blocked off, while a designated section will be reserved and monitored by Carnival Bingo staff.

The hall will also record licence plate numbers, and vehicles parked without permission could be ticketed or towed.

The spokesperson said the added revenue will help support renovations and upkeep at the aging facility.

“This is just a little extra extra income to help, especially with exterior renovations now that the snow is melted. This is a very old hall and as new management, we’ve been trying to put any extra money we can into the hall, but we’ve also inherited significant debt from previous management and the owner passing away. Any extra money that we make from our canteen goes towards debts and minor renovations, but there’s lots more to do.”

The Raiders are scheduled to host Games 3 and 4 on Tuesday and Wednesday, along with Game 5 on Friday if necessary. All games are set for 7:30 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre.

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loganc.lehmann@pattisonmedia.com

by Logan Lehmann

‘It sucks that it’s come to this’: Carnival Bingo says no more free parking for Raiders fans

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