Louisiana Bingo
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by: stickystebee
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Word Count: 399
In Louisiana, Bingo is a major source of entertainment and income for charities. There are over 100 Bingo halls in Louisiana with most games being hosted by the Catholic Church or the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars). Many of these Bingo halls operate for the sole purpose of raising money for a specific cause or group such as the local Knights of Columbus or the VFW, but there are some Bingo halls in Louisiana that operate 7 days a week and allow all charities to rent out space. One such operation is the Gretna Bingo Palace in Gretna, Louisiana. At the Gretna Bingo Palace, which is located just across the Mississippi River from New Orleans, charities pull in over $1.2 million dollars per year on average. The Gretna Bingo Palace hosts 27 games a week for the various charities that choose to host their Bingo games at the Gretna Bingo Palace. Each session at the Gretna Bingo Palace has a minimum cash giveaway of $4500 per session. Among the charities that use the facilities at the Gretna Bingo Palace are Mardi Gras Crews, historical societies, police and fire associations and the Italian American Association. Without the funds raised during the charitable bingo sessions, it would be hard for many of the above mentioned groups to carry on their services to the public. Recently, the Louisiana Legislature passed a law that would cut off the expansion of Video Bingo in Louisiana. Critics of this bill had alleged that passage of this bill would hurt charities that rely on Video Bingo for revenue. Many of the proponents of the bill alleged that Video Bingo was nothing more than a backdoor entry attempt by gambling companies. In Louisiana, Video poker machines have grown from fewer than 300 in 2005 to over 1000 in 2008. Video poker in Louisiana is not considered gambling, therefore people 18 and over can play. The age to gamble in Louisiana is 21. For decades, Bingo has been a major source of revenue for charities in Louisiana. The advent of Video Bingo sought to create more options for the Bingo Halls in Louisiana to produce for revenue for the charities. However, as many of the games offered by the new machines looked more like slot machines than the traditional bingo games, many Louisiana State lawmakers sought to pass legislation to end the growth of video poker in Louisiana.
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