DeKALB | On Thursday nights some students study, some go out, but a select few have caught bingo fever at the Elk’s Club.

Since 1996, NIU students have participated in the DeKalb Elks Club Bingo fundraiser.

At 7 p.m., Tom McCrea, a former exulted ruler (former president), starts calling numbers. Within a few minutes, a lucky winner receives cash on the spot for having their card right. Some of these winners are Huskies.

McCrea said there are about 25 to 40 students present for bingo on a given night.

McCrea said that he and the other regular bingo players think having the kids around brings spirit and life to bingo night.

“We love ‘em, just as long as they are quiet when numbers are being called,” McCrea said.

One lucky winner, Jenna Capps, junior NIU student, said she attends bingo every few months. Thursday she left with $50 in her pocket.

Other student players, like Christina Colclasure, freshman special education major, attend every bingo night they can. Colclasure said she finds bingo fun, even if she has only won four times this school year.

“The energy and adrenaline you feel when you get close to winning is awesome, especially when you’re with your friends,” Colclasure said.

Most people know bingo as the game where you have to have five numbers on the card in a row. At the Elks, they try new styles and shapes on the card to make things interesting.

Instead of the regular line bingo, special games are also played like “Picnic Table,” where you make an “X” on the sheet with a “table” across the top, or on special occasions like Superbowl week, they played “Field Goal,” making the goal post shape on the card.

For a first time player, this can be confusing, but Colclasure said the former bingo players are usually helpful.

“Just don’t talk when numbers are being called,” Colclasure said. “A common saying around the room is, ‘It’s time for serious fun.’ If you want to be loud and crazy, you’re at the wrong place.”

How much cash is on the line? According to the scheduled game sheet, prizes range between $25 to around $200, but there is also a $500 jackpot at the very end.

The money that is not won goes towards a good cause. McCrea said the club’s purpose is to fund charitable activities.