LANSING – State Representative Andy Schor (D-Lansing) introduced a bipartisan bill today to amend the Traxler-McCauley-Law-Bowman Bingo Act to ease restrictions on charitable gaming proposed by the Michigan Gaming Control Board. House Bill 5186 will allow the board to specify restrictions on charitable gaming without threatening to shut down most of these operations in Michigan.
“I understand that the Michigan Gaming Control Board wants to crack down on fraud and corruption in charitable gaming in Michigan,” Schor said. “But with the bevy of restrictions they’re proposing, all charitable gaming – even legitimate operations that are run legally and within the bounds of law – is in danger of being shut down.”
Among the items in this legislation, HB 5186 defines the hours in a day in which charitable gaming can occur, ensures that charities receive at least 50 percent of the gross proceeds for a charitable gaming event, ensures charities have the ability to raise money using imitation money or chips while also preventing games that would allow a charity to take a loss, and requires at least two bona fide members of a charity to serve as workers at a charitable gaming event instead of the five that were proposed in the rule change.
“Charitable gaming is a fun experience for those who participate, and a great way to help charities out in Michigan,” Schor said. “The games need to be clean, but we need to make sure we don’t lose the games completely.”