FORT WALTON BEACH — Larry Masino has run Racetrack Bingo for 17 years and has seen the game’s popularity explode.

While several local nonprofit organizations offer bingo during the week, Masino’s closest competition with a dedicated bingo hall for years had been the Bingo Castle on Perry Avenue, about four miles away.

That changed about a month ago when Gulf Coast Bingo opened across the street from Racetrack Bingo in the building where Masino’s Racetrack Bingo got its start.

“I’ve been doing charitable bingo for over 20 years now,” Masino said. “Competition, as much as I dislike (having Gulf Coast Bingo across the street), is very healthy. What the site across the street has allowed us to do is sharpen our focus. It’s showed us a need to improve certain faults of our business.”

Gulf Coast Bingo opened to steady business that has continued to grow, said owner Steve Alford. Before starting his own bingo operation, Alford worked for Masino at Racetrack Bingo for eight years.

“It’s not my first choice, it just happened that this building was open,” Alford said. “We looked all over for a building and parking that was adequate. Obviously, I don’t want to look across the street (and see another bingo hall), but we offer things he doesn’t offer. We’re trying to bring the fun back to bingo.”

Both bingo halls can hold more than 200 players easily. They open in the morning and their parking lots typically start filling up before noon.

Alford said his focus since he opened has been to find ways to improve customer service to make bingo more enjoyable and less expensive. Gulf Coast Bingo provides food for players throughout the day and offers free bingo games with a $25 payout three times a day.

“(Gulf Coast Bingo is) really feeding off the economics of the area,” said Renee Mills, who plays bingo regularly at both halls. “They are giving better deals. People feel like they are getting more even if they don’t win.”

However, Mills said she prefers Racetrack Bingo because of the great customer service, from those who call the numbers to the people who bring drinks and snacks.

“The customer service (at Racetrack Bingo) is by far the best of any of the bingo halls,” Mills said.

Masino, who said Gulf Coast Bingo has cut into his business, recently started a new promotion to compete better. Racetrack Bingo now has free bingo games four times a day with a $50 payout.

“This place has been here for 17 years focused on its customers, and that’s what it’s going to remain focused on,” said Kally Masino, Larry’s daughter-in-law and marketing director.

Masino and Alford are confident bingo’s popularity in the area will remain strong.

“It gives people something to do that’s not the bar scene,” Alford said. “You can go play bingo for a couple of hours and get away from things and not get into any trouble.”