Close call for bingo fundraisers
NEW RULES COULD DECIMATE LOCAL COMMUNITIES DEPENDENT ON FUNDING
“WE’RE not a casino! If it isn’t broken, there’s no need to fix it!”
So declared Dan Twomey, the chairman of the charity behind the weekly community bingo night in Banteer, as he sought clarification on the impact of new legislation going through the Oireachtas this week.
If the proposed gaming legislation passes into law this week, bingo nights such as the regular Tuesday-night bingo in Banteer may have to limit their prize money to 50 per cent of the income on any given night, a restriction which Dan Twomey feels could spell the end of bingo nights in rural areas.
Dan and his colleagues on the committee of the Banteer Bingo were seeking clarification regarding the possible exemption of charities, such as they are, from the limits on prize money which are being introduced.
“Where we will face a difficulty is when we go to renew our licence to operate the bingo as we will need to be sure that we are in compliance with whatever limits are in place,” said Dan.
He added that the legislation appeared to be aimed at regulating casinos rather than community bingo nights like the one in Banteer, which is aimed at raising funds to improve and further develop local facilities such as roofing the community centre and supporting the development of the astro-turf sports facility. Minister for State David Stanton, who is steering the legislation through the Oireachtas, remains adamant that the bill will not affect attendances at bingo nights. “I am proposing that a maximum of 25 per cent of proceeds can go to bingo operators, while a minimum of 25 per cent would go to charity and 50 per cent would go to prize-winners... I don’t accept that these changes will stop anyone playing bingo, a game renowned for its social appeal. Given its social appeal, people do not play bingo based solely on the prize level. If they did, they would likely gamble elsewhere.
“It will simply ensure that the charitable purposes, such as sports clubs, school renovations etc – will benefit as intended.”
According to Dan Twomey, restricting the prize money to just half of the weekly intake would mean that instead of a weekly €2,000 minimum payout, it would be just €1,000, and there would be question marks as well about the jackpot, which was more than €7,000 until it was won in the past few weeks.
“The devil is in the detail, obviously,” said Dan. “If charities like ours are exempt, happy days but if we’re not, we’ll be as mad as a bag of cats.”
There were protests outside the Dáil on Tuesday as the Bill was being considered, and bingo lovers had an impromptu game with Kerry TD Michael Healy Rae calling the balls along with Social Democrat leader Roisín Shortall.