Published: February 09, 2008 11:35 pm      

Nonprofits applaud bill that would increase bingo payouts, reduce wait time

The state House of Representatives last week approved a proposal that would double the amount of prizes that volunteer fire companies, churches and other nonprofit organizations could award and loosened rules about who can work at the games.

The vote was 188-10, with all area representatives voting for the bill.

The daily limit that a licensed, bingo association could award in one day currently is $4,000. The proposal would make it $8,000.

Currently under the state’s Charitable Bingo law, people can start working at bingo games after being a member of the organization for one year. The bill would reduce that wait to one month.

“It will help the nonprofits to raise more money,” said state Rep. Gary Haluska, D-Patton, about the bill.

Organizations such as volunteer fire companies, churches and ambulance associations, just as everyone else, have seen increases in fuel expenses, so they need more funds to continue providing their services, Haluska said.

By making it more attractive with larger prizes, more people hopefully would attend their fundraising bingos, he said.

State Rep. Bob Bastian, R-Somerset, said that he normally votes against gambling laws.

“But I did vote for this,” he said. “I think our small nonprofits such as volunteer fire companies and Lions Clubs all need bingo to survive,” he said.

“Because other forms of gambling offer greater prizes, this will help them to compete.”

Bob Burkett, chief of the Summerhill Borough Volunteer Fire Company and a volunteer at its Wednesday night bingos, said the increase in the prize money will not affect his fire company, but the shorter waiting period could.

“Anything that makes it easier to find volunteers to help run the games would be nice,” he said.

The increase in prize money won’t affect the fire company because its jackpot is limited to $1,000, he said.

All the funds raised by bingo benefit the fire company, he said.

Bob O’Donnell, president of the Home Association of American Legion Post 181, 162 W. Main St., Somerset, said it’s nice that there is a plan to increase the prize money.

He said that won’t affect his organization because its payout is less than $2,000 a week, but it will help organizations that want to hold larger bingos.

He said his organization holds bingos on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays.

He said the casinos that opened in the state late last year have not hurt his post’s bingos.

“We have die-hards who come regularly,” he said.

He said all bingo proceeds go into the post’s building renovation fund.

Michael Alexander, chief of the Scalp Level-Paint Volunteer Fire Company, likes the shorter waiting period.

He said fire companies always can use more volunteers to provide services to the community. And any time a fire company can get new members involved in bingo sooner, the better it would be because the games would move along faster, he said.

Alexander said his company’s prize money is $500, thus it would not be affected by the change in the prize limit. But it always could decide to offer larger pots in the future, he said.

He said there should not be a limit anyway. This is a democracy and organizations should be able to set their own limit, he said.

The Pennsylvania Lottery, which benefits senior citizens, sets its own jackpots, Alexander said. Organizations that serve the public likewise should be able to set their own limit, he said.

“We have to do this,” he said about why the fire company holds bingo every Thursday. “This is the only way we can survive.”

The bill now goes to the Senate.

The House approved a similar plan two years ago but the measure was tabled in the Senate.