Bingo: Bingo halls are big help for nonprofits

For some El Paso nonprofits, bingo is the only way to survive even though the future of the bingo game itself is in doubt.

One of these nonprofits -- Family Service of El Paso -- grossed $1.1 million in bingo sales and fees last year.

After paying prize money, fees and other expenses, the agency was able to keep $96,886 from its 154 bingo games.

"We couldn't do it without bingo," said Richard Salcido, director of Family Service of El Paso, which also participates in the state's charitable bingo program. "The proceeds help us to provide services, buy equipment and maintain the staff we need."

Family Service of El Paso provides mental-health services to people regardless of their ability to pay. Last year, it served 1,647 people with 8,986 sessions. Salcido got in early on the charitable bingo bandwagon. "We opened the first bingo game at the Bingo Plus center in 1985," he said. "I ran the organization's bingo games for 11 years and I know three-fourths of the bingo players who come out and play."

The Texas Lottery Commission regulates charitable bingo, which has undergone a genesis that includes various rule changes and a series of oversight agencies. Statewide, 1,241 nonprofits rely on charitable bingo to beef up their budgets. In 2006, $489 million in bingo prize money was awarded to bingo players and $31.7 million was raised for charities.

Salcido said Speaking Rock's casino operations and the city's no-smoking ordinance devastated more than half of El Paso's charitable bingo operations. "But, the day after Speaking Rock closed, we had one of out best days ever," he said. Still, "the bingo players are aging and there is no one to replace them. The young people today prefer video and other electronic games."

According to the commission, El Paso County has 13 nonprofits with a current bingo license. They include the Horizon City Kiwanis, which also uses the Bingo Plus facility for its bingo games, St. Paul Catholic Church and St. Anthony Seminary. Last year, El Paso's charitable bingo operations reported $7.1 million in gross receipts combined, and $543,133 total in charitable distributions.

"Our charitable budget is about $100,000 a year, and bingo accounts for $85,000 of that," said Pat Landleel, secretary of the Horizon City Kiwanis. "Bingo will survive as long as we can appeal to that segment of the population that has limited disposable income than those who might go to Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino. "We're doing better these days, not just because Speaking Rock closed, but also because we have fewer bingo operators than before."

Gone are the days of smoke-filled bingo halls taken over by players who ran on caffeine while watching their paper card and listening intently for the next bingo number. Today, the bingo halls are smoke-free, and charitable bingo players can choose from pull-up tabs and electronic cards for their bingo game session.

Given that religious organizations are involved in bingo, it is ironic the state commission describes charitable bingo on its Web site as "the oldest form of legalized gambling in Texas." The Rev. Jaime Yañez at St. Anthony Seminary said he doesn't think anyone has gotten addicted to the bingo games at the seminary. "We hold bingo for only three days in the year, during our annual fundraising bazaar that takes place over the Labor Day weekend," he said. "Our bingo games are modest compared to others, but bingo is very popular with the people who come to the bazaar."

Last year, bingo helped raise $2,802 for the seminary. St. Paul Catholic Church conducted 141 bingo games in 2007 and Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd had 156 games. Local communities, among them El Paso, receive bingo allocations from the state stemming from prize fees charged to bingo winners. El Paso received $18,387 from its 2.5 percent in prize fees collected over the last three months of 2007. The state keeps another 2.5 percent of the prize winnings for its general fund. San Antonio, with a hot charitable bingo market, received $188,226, the highest allocation for a city, followed by Fort Worth ($86,999) and Corpus Christi ($67,644).

The state says 1,241 organizations use bingo to raise money. Under the state's formula, at least 35 percent of a group's adjusted gross receipts (after fees and bingo prizes) must be distributed to the charitable organization. Phil Sanderson, who administers charitable bingo for the state in Austin, said the lottery commission monitors bingo operations, does background checks on license applicants and conducts audits.

He said there were no enforcement actions for bingo-related violations in El Paso last year. Salcido views bingo as a precarious fundraising tool. "If Speaking Rock reopens, we may have to close down," he said.

Written by Diana Washington Valdez
www.elpasotimes.com