This past Monday, law officials in California came together with the Catholic Church and Tribes in the area to create a compromised agreement about bingo. Amendments were added to the Senate Bill 1369 that would allow a major growth of conventional bingo in the State but outlaw electronic versions of bingo. The electronic version is similar to slot machines.

California has several Indian tribes that run casinos and pay the State millions of dollars every year for the right to have exclusive rights on slots and other electronic gaming machines. The tribe believes that the electronic bingo machine is a threat that could violate the gambling agreement with California. The tribe believes the threat is growing and is lobbying for a ban on bingo machines. This is what led to the compromise.

The Senate must approve the Bill before the legal dispute will come to an end. Once the Bill is passed, California will be able to offer televised or electronically linked bingo games, like online bingo, legally. Catholic Churches in the State will be able to run large bingo games with prizes well into six figures. At least 43% of revenue from such events would go to a nonprofit or charity and 37% maximum is allotted for the prizes.

Only a small group remains unsupportive of the Bill. Most charities and non-profit organizations in California are supporting the Bill but those with the majority of their income coming from bingo machines are not happy with the decision. Those in opposition have stated that the Bill may help the Church and large charities but it hurts the community based charities that have only one operation.

Senator Gil Cedillo of Los Angeles stated this about the Bill: “We're trying hard to make sure that we meet everybody's concerns. But, at the end of the day, I think this will bring stability and certainty for all the interested parties.”



- 2008-08-20