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Schwarzenegger Signs Off On Bingo Bill

People other than members of Indian tribal nations will be officially barred from operating slot machines in California. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger made the bill law this past Tuesday in Sacramento. The new legislation, Senate Bill 1369, will legally kill off the slot machine-esque Bingo devices that have been proliferating in use with charity organizations like churches and schools. The bill was a major legislative priority, given its emphasis by state Indian tribes.

In California, the state may only request a portion of tribal slot game proceeds if they offer the group something substantial in return. To date, that barter of substance has been the exclusive right to operate slot machines in the state. Tribal gaming officials were angered by the Bingo games that have been set up by nonprofit organizations, and have demanded that state officials shut them down. The previous state gambling law left the Bingo machines’ legality in question; the new law clears up any ambiguities by disallowing anyone but approved Indian tribes from operating electronic Bingo games.

As a concession to the Catholic Church, one of the biggest consumers of the now-illicit Bingo devices, the state has legalized MegaBingo games in the hopes that these titles will work for the same fundraising purposes as the electronic titles. MegaBingo games are big, interconnected games that offer players the chances to win much larger prizes – a la progressive slot machine jackpots. Hopefully, the new law will succor both the Indian tribal council members and the church organizations that were so stirred up over the matter!

Back to October 2008 Archive.