To: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger:
SB 1369 does not just clarify the law on electronic aids to bingo; it contains many other provisions that will cripple charity bingo in California, and which will have unforeseen ramifications on the State.
The bill creates linked statewide bingo lottery games for a handful of large statewide nonprofits. These large charities will have a legislated monopoly because community bingo halls across the State would not be allowed to use this technology and regulation exclusivity in SB1369 for their community one location bingo games. All these provisions will greatly impact local charity bingo games that raise needed funds for their communities where state and local governments do not provide similar services.
The large remote-caller bingo games also may resemble private lotteries, and adversely impact the state lottery. The operators can sell tickets all week even if the games only occur on one day. A player can just stop by for a few minutes on that one day to check the game results. The proponents have said they estimate several hundred million dollars in sales for the games and Life-Altering Prizes, which means fewer State lottery ticket sales. They have said gleefully about their linked games: It is like Wal-Mart coming to town and smaller drug stores will be shut down. The bill also may expand tribal gaming by allowing Internet gaming.
There is no emergency: only a few charities have used Class II electronic bingo machines and with no effect on tribal gaming revenues. The State has already determined that the bingo devices do not violate the compacts exclusivity and a state judge has ordered some types of electronic bingo machines NOT to be removed.
This is a hastily written gut and amend bill that was pushed through during the final 8 days of the legislative session with many legislators candidly admitting that they do not understand the remote caller aspects and the impacts. The vast majority of charities that raise money throughout California by using bingo to help children and people with disabilities, groups that work to prevent homelessness orphaned and abandoned children to provide kids with meals, shelter and education, organizations that support youth music and sports, also groups that offer rehabilitation programs for US war veterans DO NOT support this bill.
There are better solutions: If the law needs to be clarified on electronic bingo, then that should be done in a bill next year unaccompanied by all the other provisions in this bill.