Texas bingo players are a breed all to themselves, and they want their bingo news Texas style. So here it is … all the latest news about Texas bingo and the best roundup of breaking news affecting one of the top forms of entertainment in Texas – charitable bingo
EXPANDED GAMBLING? TEXAS BINGO WANTS A PIECE OF THE PIE Bingo Interests Set To Go To Court, Prepare For Legislative Battle
AUSTIN — Texas bingo interests say if lawmakers decide to expand gambling opportunities in Texas – they want a piece of the action. The first step, according to a May report in the San Antonio Express News, is going to federal court so they can compete if casinos are allowed in Texas or video lottery terminals at racetracks. Lobbyist Steven Bresnen who represents bingo halls says expanded gambling could be devastating for charitable bingo unless bingo halls are allowed to get electronic-game technology as part of the expansion. He says that would allow them to compete with casinos or video lottery terminals at racetracks.
A previous effort to get electronic instant bingo in Texas failed in the legislature and bingo hall operators feel part of the reason was a state law that prohibits bingo proceeds from being used to lobby lawmakers. Now they are taking it to federal court in the hope they can overturn the law under a free speech argument . They plan to base the lawsuit on a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that found corporations have a free-speech right to spend money to influence elections. “We found it ironic that Veterans of Foreign Wars, who fought for these rights, were constrained by statute from using their proceeds from bingo to ... exercise those rights before the Legislature.
Consequently, we intend to try to do something about it,” Bresnen recently said in comments to the Texas Lottery Commission, which oversees bingo operations in Texas. “These charities provide a significant service to the state of Texas.
They provide services to communities that the Legislature either can't or won't fund. And we can't stand idly by and have them run over by a bunch of wealthy track owners or casino owners.” Bingo interests plan to establish a fund of at least $5 million to mount a major media campaign to allow bingo charities to defend their interests. Even if they lose the lawsuit, bingo operators have another plan: register and mobilize bingo players across the state.
ILLEGAL GAMBLING CRACKDOWN COULD BENEFIT BINGO HALLS
Bingo halls across Texas are reported a renewed interest in charitable bingo since law enforcement officials began cracking down on illegally operated video games and game rooms across the state. “Light has broken through the gray-cloud revenues for local bingo halls, which have witnessed an increase in customers since Brownsville police began cracking down on illegally operated video casinos in April,” the Brownsville Herald reported in a recent edition.
One Brownsville bingo hall reported 160 bingo players on a recent Sunday compared to its normal 60 following video arcade raids. Additionally, some Corpus Christi bingo halls were reporting bigger crowds after a raid by the sheriff department at illegal gambling operations across Nueces County which resulted in nine arrests.
MILLIONS IN BINGO CASH GO TEXAS CITIES AND COUNTIES 1st Quarter Of 2010 Total $3.2 Million For 141 Jurisdictions
FROM THE TEXAS LOTTERY COMMISSION AUSTIN – Charitable Bingo players were eager to play their favorite game during the first quarter of 2010, as 141 Texas cities and counties received a total of more than $3.2 million in quarterly allocations, as required by law, for permitting the conduct of Charitable Bingo games in their communities.
The Charitable Bingo Operations Division also allocated $3.5 million to the state’s General Revenue Fund. The robust first quarter allocation surpassed the previous quarter’s allocation by 7.9 percent. The 2010 first quarter allocation is 2.1 percent higher than the first quarter of 2009. Allocations are the result of prize fees collected from players who won bingo prizes in January, February and March in games conducted by non-profit organizations.
As required by law, five percent of a prize awarded is withheld from the winner and deposited in a non-dedicated account in the General Revenue Fund. Cities and counties that imposed the gross receipt tax on a local-option basis on or before January1, 1993, receive quarterly payments of up to 2.5 percent of the prizes won by bingo players in their
jurisdictions. Bexar County has again received the single largest allocation, $245,606.28. The remaining top counties are: Harris County, $162,402.82; Dallas County, $155,952.43; Tarrant County, $142,172.97; and Bell County,
2009 TEXAS BINGO GROSS RECEIPTS HIGHEST EVER
Players Win a Record $518Million In Prizes Across The State
FROM THE TEXAS LOTTERY COMMISSIONAUSTIN –Calendar year 2009 has proven to be the highest-grossing ever for charitable bingo since the game was legalized in 1981, with total receipts surpassing $693 million and players winning a record $518 million in prizes. “With total receipts of $693 million, an $8 million increase over last year, charitable organizations were better able to provide services to their constituencies,” said Texas Lottery Commission Director of Charitable Bingo, Philip Sanderson. “Charitable distributions also increased for the sixth consecutive year, as organizations reported they distributed $36 million for their charitable purposes.” Total distributions since 1981 now exceed $937 million. The following chart will show a comparison of activity in charitable bingo during the last two calendar years:
2009
2008
Total Gross Receipts
$692,927,554
$685,418,665
Charitable Distributions
$ 35,834,421
$32,852,800
Pull Tab Sales
$318,705,640
$305,659,183
Pull Tab Prizes
$229,887,909
$221,070,862
Regular Sales
$374,221,914
$379,759,482
Regular Prizes
$288,368,440
$291,750,934
Total Prizes
$518,256,349
$513,089,176
“Since 1981, nearly 647 million persons have attended bingo occasions,”Sanderson said. “The numbers speak for themselves, proving that charitablebingo continues to be a popular pastime for many Texans.” There were 1,255 non-profits that conducted charitable bingo games during 2009. BingoinTexas.com has provided a copy of the 2009 Bingo Annual Report in PDF form on its website.
To download or read the annual report on Texas bingo, click here.
