Sudden Threat to California Bingo

[Feathers Up]

Again, remember the rep who called it "Charity Wars". Every example you give of someone hurt by this bill, there will be an example of two helped. They feel sympathy for those who lose out, but the bill does help many charites. BD just happens to be on the wrong side here.

The issues that will still matter are the other issues over the impact of this bill legally and what is included in it, ect. If the meeting this morning is any indication, the legis will brush over who is helped or hurt. Some will be helped, some will be hurt. And the legis will not get bogged down in which charities are worthwhile to help. I do see vunerable points in this bill!

Here's my question. How do these "small" non-profit organizations having bingo to help support themsevles have a negative impact on the "larger" charities and Indians??? That is why this bill is flawed. Do you think the Indians care about those large charity organizations?? They could care less..Not too long ago the Indians were in opposition to Remote Calling Bingo. The ONLY reason they are even supporting it now is because the bill will kill electronic bingo which in return will put more money in their pockets..And if this bill passes, it won't help a lot of charities while hurting some..It will help the big charities while KILLING others. And I have NO probelm with the larger charity groups being allowed to have Remote Calling Bingo..If that's what they want to do, then go ahead! More power to them! But the bill should be changed to allow smaller non-profit organizations to continue using electronic bingo in order to survive. That way, both sides would win (well except for the Indians who's greed is the cause of this).

[DCIHasBeen]

Here's my question. How do these "small" non-profit organizations having bingo to help support themsevles have a negative impact on the "larger" charities and Indians??? That is why this bill is flawed. Do you think the Indians care about those large charity organizations?? They could care less..Not too long ago the Indians were in opposition to Remote Calling Bingo. The ONLY reason they are even supporting it now is because the bill will kill electronic bingo which in return will put more money in their pockets..And if this bill passes, it won't help a lot of charities while hurting some..It will help the big charities while KILLING others. And I have NO probelm with the larger charity groups being allowed to have Remote Calling Bingo..If that's what they want to do, then go ahead! More power to them! But the bill should be changed to allow smaller non-profit organizations to continue using electronic bingo in order to survive. That way, both sides would win (well except for the Indians who's greed is the cause of this).

They're possibly playing both ends against the middle in order to knock a lot of competition out of the game.

Todd mentioned that Remote Caller Bingo has failed in other places. If that's the case, killing electronic Bingo is win #1 ... Then, if Remote Caller Bingo fails, the other "Big Charities" will be out of the game and the Tribal Gaming interests have lost a lot of competition for gambling dollars. It's win-win for them.

The big shame here is that our State Government is foolish enough to believe that money from the Tribal Gaming compacts is going to bail the State out of all of its financial trouble ... That's a pipe dream, or at least I believe it is.

Then again, maybe I'm wrong ... Maybe Tribal Gaming will save California's Fiscal butt. It will still have wreaked Havoc on charities across the State, and if it doesn't work out, the State will still be in financial trouble AND damaged all of these charitable institutions. Either way, the Tribal Gaming interest (and all the other folks up stream, feeding off of their income, will continue to reap a windfall.

Yeah, something is rotten in the State of ..., alright.

Edited August 23, 2008 by DCIHasBeen

[Linda Slocum]

Then again, maybe I'm wrong ... Maybe Tribal Gaming will save California's Fiscal butt. It will still have wreaked Havoc on charities across the State, and if it doesn't work out, the State will still be in financial trouble AND damaged all of these charitable institutions. Either way, the Tribal Gaming interest (and all the other folks up stream, feeding off of their income, will continue to reap a windfall.

Yeah, something is rotten in the State of ..., alright.

Doubtful this is just about Bingo. On the broader scale of things, if the Indians control all gaming/gambling activities (other than the state lottery) in the state, then they've effectively locked everyone else out of having any sort of gambling/gaming other than themselves. Bingo has got to be only a very small fraction of what they bring in at their casinos throughout the state.

The current laws don't mandate that the Indians give ANYTHING back to the state from their gaming revenues, so all that has been created is a huge amount of leverage for the Indians to use any time they want something to be passed in their favor. The state legislators have just bent over and allowed the Indians to stick it to them time and again, and this latest vote clearly shows that they don't care what happens to the rest of the charity organizations within the state. The line between creating an independent Indian community and creating a Mafia-style state-sponsored gambling enterprise was crossed long ago.

Not that I've frequented Indian casinos much anyways, but this is one reason to avoid them in the future. I get sick thinking of them laughing all the way to the bank, while more local charities are likely to go under because of these new actions. Greed just doesn't belong in charity activities.

[Todd Tanji]

I am very much for Indian self-reliance. Gaming money does do a lot of good for Indian communities.

It is not so much corruption of the Indians that concerns me. It is the corruption of OUR GOVERNMENT

OFFICIALS that is the problem. Politicians routinely do favors for the Indians then drop out of politics

and immediately take jobs with Indian casinos.

When governments depend on gambling for revenue it is dead certainty that corruption will occur. Then

that further breeds a culture of corruption and a downward spiral occurs.

Government + Gambling = VERY BAD IDEA

[Todd Tanji]

Finally someone from the press takes notice of this situation:

B-I-N-G-O V-E-T-O

Every session of the Legislature offers several examples of some big interest groups ganging up to kick the stuffing out of a smaller interest group. In this session, the premier example centers on the seemingly innocuous game of bingo.

The big guys in this instance are the state's Indian tribes and the Catholic Church. They have joined forces to push through a bill that would outlaw electronic bingo machines, and in the process cripple fundraising efforts for an untold number of small charities across California.

This lets the tribes and the church hold onto their share of the gambling business. For the tribes, it's their legal monopoly on slot machines; for the church, it's the caller-and-dauber bingo games that are a staple of parish fundraising.

Click here to find out more!

The church-tribe coalition has succeeded in creating Senate Bill 1369, gutted and amended from its original form, which sailed through the Senate and is poised to do the same in the Assembly in the closing days of the legislative session.

This bill takes care of the tribes and the church at the expense of countless smaller charities, many of them in Sacramento, that rely on electronic games. These charities do good works but are simply no match for the army of lobbyists at the disposal of the tribes and the church.

There are solutions that would be fair to all parties, but this isn't a fair fight, and it's not obvious how to make it more even. Or is it?

One of the classic Hollywood movie clichés involves the hero stepping in to stop the big guy from kicking the little guy around. Such a script typically requires the presence of a strong, manly hero with a flair for the dramatic and an innate sense of fairness.

Now, that seems to strike a familiar chord. Is there anybody around the Capitol these days who could fill such a role, with a pen if not with fists? Is there, Governor?

Edited August 25, 2008 by BDUFLS

[emc2]

Here's my question. How do these "small" non-profit organizations having bingo to help support themsevles have a negative impact on the "larger" charities and Indians??? That is why this bill is flawed. Do you think the Indians care about those large charity organizations?? They could care less..Not too long ago the Indians were in opposition to Remote Calling Bingo. The ONLY reason they are even supporting it now is because the bill will kill electronic bingo which in return will put more money in their pockets..And if this bill passes, it won't help a lot of charities while hurting some..It will help the big charities while KILLING others. And I have NO probelm with the larger charity groups being allowed to have Remote Calling Bingo..If that's what they want to do, then go ahead! More power to them! But the bill should be changed to allow smaller non-profit organizations to continue using electronic bingo in order to survive. That way, both sides would win (well except for the Indians who's greed is the cause of this).

Does that mean the cost to march with the Cal corps will increase.

[PhantomPhanatic]

I know this will hurt, but they will have to find another way to make money.

I'm sure if cities like Dubuque, Iowa and Rockford, Illinois can sustain world class corps, so can Santa Clara and Concord, California. :)

[Michael Boo]

I know this will hurt, but they will have to find another way to make money.

I'm sure if cities like Dubuque, Iowa and Rockford, Illinois can sustain world class corps, so can Santa Clara and Concord, California. :)

Fortunately for Dubuque and Rockford, there are so many shows in the Midwest, not to mention the World Championships. California corps have rather high travel costs in comparison.

Yes, corps like Phantom have recently made it to California, but it's not an every year thing.

The loss of bingo would have a big impact on California corps. Their whole fund-raising "culture" is built around it. This is something that should raise concerns in all who love drum corps...all drum corps.

[DCIHasBeen]

Fortunately for Dubuque and Rockford, there are so many shows in the Midwest, not to mention the World Championships. California corps have rather high travel costs in comparison.

Yes, corps like Phantom have recently made it to California, but it's not an every year thing.

The loss of bingo would have a big impact on California corps. Their whole fund-raising "culture" is built around it. This is something that should raise concerns in all who love drum corps...all drum corps.

In that regard, this will impact all corps, and, yes, everyone needs to start looking at ways of generating new revenue streams ... The one-time edge that the California corps had with this State's very generous Bingo provisions has been slowly eroded by Indian Gaming, and legislation that favors same over everyone else, for years now.

Where it's really going to hurt the "Big Boys", BD and SCV, is that both organizations are multi-program community organizations, running multiple drum corps and color guard/dance programs each. Each with a large fleet of vehicles to maintain, as well as property to manage.

The net result of the electronic bingo ban, even if additional funding can be found by other means, will likely force both of these organizations to scale back, and possibly eliminate, some of their community-based programs ... And that's something that nobody wants to see happen.

[apoch003]

Perhaps the Californians missed the point of my first post. Now that your bill has passed, you have no bingo funding anymore.

Oregon did this 20 years ago, and California did nothing to help.

It's time for the members of my beloved California drum corps to start their fundrasing carwashes, chocolate sales, litter pick-up patrols and donation drives, because if you don't, you'll end up like us... with ONE corps for the whole state.