The new gaming regulations in Marion County require that each bingo operation give a set percentage of its gross revenue to charity, regardless of expenses...
At least one bingo hall official said he won't be able to operate under the new regulations.
Seven bingo halls across the state are claiming that the new regulations are illegal. They have filed a lawsuit in Marion County Superior Court in Indianapolis asking it to grant a preliminary injunction to cancel the new regulations.
Albert Beeks, secretary for the Eagles Fraternal Order No. 227 in Marion said his club for fiscal year 2003 had $2.1 million in income from bingo. Expenses for bingo supplies were $1.7 million. The rest goes toward utilities, food, and other bills. If they go on gross, it's going to hurt us real bad, said Beeks.
According to the Marion County lawsuit, if those bingo operators did not renew their licenses, the state could lose more than $1.7 million in license fees and charities that benefit from bingo proceeds would lose more than $240 million. Also, the lawsuit alleges that the department overstepped its authority by telling bingo operators how to donate those proceeds.
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