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California charity gaming plan opposed7 April 2008SACRAMENTO, California -- As reported by the San Diego Union Tribune: "To counter withering competition from Indian casinos and elsewhere, the Catholic Church and other charitable groups want to revolutionize conventional bingo with interconnected games that could offer six-figure prizes. "Bingo sessions at hundreds of parishes, Elks lodges and other charities could be linked electronically to create a single game under legislation recently introduced in the state Senate. "To draw crowds, the bill also raises the long-standing state cap on bingo prizes from $250 to 37 percent of gross receipts for a game. "The same thing has happened to Catholic parishes and schools, which have long depended on bingo as a fundraising staple. "...California's powerful gaming tribes, however, are not happy about the proposal. The tribes' primary concern appears to be the spread of legally questionable electronic bingo machines that also are being used to raise money for charities and nonprofit groups. While Cedillo's bill expressly declares that it does not sanction those devices, the state's dominant tribal lobby suggests it will oppose enhancing bingo as long as the machines are in use. "...Another prominent group of gaming tribes, the California Tribal Business Alliance, also opposes the measure. "Cedillo said California tribes, whose casinos generate nearly $8 billion a year, have nothing to fear in his measure..." |