Long Island Family To Host 60th Straight Bingo Night

STONY BROOK, NY — The Mastriano family of Stony Brook is scheduled to host its 60th straight night of Bingo on Monday. The family of four's game has reached the national level after it was born out of the idea of giving people something fun to do during the coronavirus outbreak. The free games will continue every night until the social distancing orders are lifted.

The game is open to the public and has a steady following of repeat players, with new families joining in every night, Laura Mastriano, the wife and mother, said. Each night, the game begins at 7:30 p.m. EST on Facebook Live and runs about an hour. The sessions are hosted on Laura's Facebook page, which can be accessed here.

Monday's theme is 1960s in the spirit of the consecutive days of Bingo games held. Before the game, the family supplies a word list and a blank Bingo sheet. Print the sheet, choose 24 words from the list and write them on the card. The Mastrianos pick the words live, share facts related to the night's theme and crack jokes.

Players can be any age. Participants are encouraged to dress up to match the theme, too. Traditional Bingo and full-sheet are both played.

Ever since the game launched March 20, there's been a new theme every night. Past themes include SpongeBob Squarepants, Hockey, Disney, America, Sports Night, Super Heroes, Movie Night, Video Games, Harry Potter, Football, Nurses Day, Ice Cream, Cinco De Mayo, Sharks and Alice in Wonderland.

Here are some quick facts on the Mastriano family, courtesy of Laura:

• Joe- Husband, Father: still working remotely from home for Apex Systems, Inc. (I.T. Staffing company); After Joe's day of work, he does some research for the day's bingo theme. He is behind the camera, reads live shout-outs, jokes, facts and provides commentary throughout the game.
• Laura- Wife, Mother: out of work event-planner, L.A. Productions Events- all business and events have been canceleed as a result of the pandemic. Finds the game as a way to stay positive and help spread hope that once this passes, everyone will want to celebrate together again. Laura starts working on the new theme by 7 a.m., creating a word list, posting it to Facebook and social media, and then spends hours designing the set: making/using/recycling any items she can find in her home. She does all this while running in and out checking on school work progress, cooking meals for the family, and remembering to run the laundry, etc.)
• Maddie- Daughter, Sister: 2nd-year college student, Loyola University in Maryland. Now taking all her classes virtually from her bedroom. When she is not in live class, or doing her school work, she joins the game dressed as a shark, affectionately known as "Sharkie" to her online fans.
• Joseph- Son, Brother: Junior at Ward Melville High School; after his day of e-learning and school assignments, Joseph joins in for game time and helps keep track of the words pulled during the game, as well as keeping things organized. He usually throws in some trivia or jokes too.
• Phoebe- English Bulldog, Mascot: Phoebe loves to dress up for the theme of each Bingo game. She has a growing fan base and helps instantly spread smiles when she graces everyone with her presence. Sometimes she does sit at the host table, because she wants to run the show.