Bingo numbers are no longer being called — at least for now — on military bases around Oahu as lawyers try to catch up to new technology and practices that have changed the face of the moneymaking game, officials said.

Officials from the three services offering bingo have suspended the games for an internal legal review, and will have to decide what to do next with an activity that has been popular on Hawaii military bases for at least 30 years.

The Army on Friday suspended its games, held three nights a week, and the Coast Guard halted its Saturday games at Club 14.

The Navy said it canceled bingo at Pearl Harbor back in July, and on Sept. 21 put a temporary stop to the games on the Hickam side of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, where bingo was offered four nights a week.

The Army said Monday that it "temporarily suspended" the dinner entertainment program — its name for bingo — as it continues its own review of the games.

Army officials said last week they were conducting an audit of bingo operations to make sure the games were in compliance with military regulations, but at that point the games had not been canceled.

"The initial continuance of the program allowed Army auditors the chance to observe our bingo operations in progress, which they have done," the Army said in an email.

The service said its subsequent suspension "is consistent with the other military services in Hawaii."

Joan Miller, 68, who has been playing bingo in Hawaii for 20 years at Fort Shafter, Schofield Barracks and Hickam, said an official announced the halt of the Army games at Fort Shafter Friday.

"He said, ‘The other bases have closed (their bingo), and we are doing just what they are doing — reviewing everything, and as of tonight, bingo will be suspended. There will be no more at Schofield or the Coast Guard; this is for all Hawaii,’" Miller said.

The Ewa resident said players, who typically are retirees, are not happy.

"They are like stomping the ground and saying, ‘Well, we’ll just go to church bingo now,’" Miller said. "The church bingo is getting big. My friend, one of my neighbors, in fact, she said, ‘Oh my God, on Sunday we didn’t even have enough tables and chairs for everyone.’"

Miller said church bingo is popular in Kalihi, Pearl City, Waipahu, Nanakuli and other areas.

The Coast Guard said it is conducting a "managerial review" of its bingo run by its Moral, Welfare and Recreation office.

"The Coast Guard is committed to respecting Hawaii state law and ensuring all of our policies and practices on base maintain the highest ethical standards and avoid even the appearance of impropriety," the service said in nearly identical language used by the Navy.

Military concern over the legality of bingo in Hawaii led to a temporary suspension in 2000 of the games, and a meeting of federal and military lawyers with the Honolulu Police Department and city prosecutor’s office. The games subsequently resumed.

New technology has come along since then, including the availability of portable machines that can be loaded up with hundreds of electronic bingo cards — and which can cost up to hundreds of dollars.

The machines score the cards automatically, letting players use traditional paper cards at the same time.

Bingo players say when special cash prizes get into the thousands of dollars for what’s known as a "powerball" or "hot ball," the temptation can be to buy more electronic cards. The prize rolls over and increases until a player wins a bingo with the powerball — the first number drawn that night.

Miller said no one won the powerball jackpot that had reached $5,000 at Fort Shafter when the games were suspended Friday.

"When the powerball goes up, (some players) are going to put in $200 to $300 (in the machines) and try and win $5,000. That’s the bad part about the machines," said Miller, who does not use the devices.

Millions in annual revenue for Morale, Welfare and Recreation programs and thousands in nightly prizes hang in the balance with the military bingo review.

The Army said recently that food sales for all special events and bingo at Fort Shafter’s Hale Ikena and Schofield’s Nehelani clubs totaled about $1.5 million for the 2011 fiscal year, with the bingo dinner program accounting for the majority of that amount.

HPD said its position is that if an individual pays a fee directly or indirectly to play bingo, it is illegal gambling.

Before the current legal review, the Navy had offered bingo three nights a week at Pearl Harbor, but said it canceled those games in July and kept the bingo offered at Hickam to avoid duplication at what is now a jointly managed base.