Lawmakers Say No to Bingo

California lawmakers are pushing a bill, SB1369, which would help the larger gaming tribes, churches and non profit groups make more money, but would possibly put the smaller ones out of business. They are pushing to ban electronic bingo games in the smaller charities as they are a violation of the tribes’ monopoly on slot machines.

The lawmakers are essentially pushing to keep them in business while squeezing out the little guy, just so that they can get larger payouts. The charities will be linking multiple facilities across the state and thus paying out much larger prizes.

State law now permits a max payout of $250 per game – however the new law would allow them to go above $100,000. The bill has already passed the state Assembly 56-3 and is now moving on to the Senate.

However, the smaller charities are upset because they say that it will drive their current customers to leave them for bigger payouts. They claim that they cannot compete with the larger prizes and should not have to. They say that the state will be forcing many of the smaller ones out of business.

They say that the state is simply bowing to threats from the tribes to withhold tens of millions of dollars from them. They say that they want the bingo machines that look like slot machines gone.

 

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