Charity Bingos Continue Electronic Bingo Machine Battle

Charitable bingo parlours in California are preparing last gasp legal motions to stay in business after a federal appeals court threw out a lower court order barring the state from shutting them down.
The case of the small bingo operations, concentrated mostly near the capital city of Sacramento, has been a closely watched legal test.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a new law SB 1369 officially prohibiting charities from using casino-style electronic bingo machines. The charity groups continued operating under a court order after the law went into effect 1 January.

Meanwhile, some of California’s wealthiest Indian casino tribes threatened to withhold tens of millions of dollars of revenue sharing payment to California if the charity groups continued to operate the class II games. The tribes said the electronic machines violated exclusive casino gambling rights under tribal-state compacts.

For the complete story, please see Peter Hecht, Charities In Last Ditch Fight After California Appeal Court Decision, Gambling Compliance Ltd., April 6, 2009.