Gaming law affects nonprofits, fire departments
A public meeting on the changes scheduled to go into place in February to the Small Games of Chance law will be held Thursday at the Frazier High School auditorium.
The Perry Township Volunteer Fire Department is hosting the 6 p.m. event, along with state Sen. Richard Kasunic, D-Dunbar, and state Rep. Deberah Kula, D-North Union. State Police Trooper James Jones with the Bureau of Liquor Control Enforcement will be presenting information about the law.
“This is not a session to complain,” said Perry Township Supervisor A.J. Boni, who is also a firefighter.
Still, there are a number of complaints being aired.
Doug Grimm, the president of the Fayette County Firemen’s Association, said the changes in the law are an issue for fire departments and all of the member departments are encouraged to attend the informational meeting.
“We’re trying to get a good representation from around the county,” Grimm said. “A lot of fire departments depend on bingos for their income. A lot of people who come to bingos are on a fixed income and now we’re going to have to tax their winnings. I think it’s going to hurt our attendance.”
Grimm said that while in the past it was on the winners to report their winnings, as of February that responsibility will fall on the organization with the Small Games of Chance license.
The revised law does permit larger jackpots than in the past, but Grimm said he doesn’t feel that will be enough to offset drops in attendance due to the reporting requirements and the law could be detrimental to fire departments that count on bingos, cash bashes and other fund raising activities.
The changes in the law are affecting social service organizations such as Crosskeys Human Services as well.
Crosskeys executive director Sister James Ann Germuska said her agency depends on revenues from tip cards and lottery-based tickets to cover program costs for its programs for senior citizens and mental health clients.
“We never get enough money in our contracts to complete a project, so we need this extra income,” Germuska said. “That money is very much needed to continue the programs.”
Germuska said most of the prizes offered by Crosskeys are low dollar amounts and won’t require the agency to withhold taxes. A ticket for a $250 prize is put off every other month and tip cards are also sold, with prizes of about $30.
“We don’t have anything on a real big scale. Anyone who does win, we would hope they would report it. I think it’s wrong to put those kinds of conditions on us,” Germuska said.
Germuska said Crosskeys has on occasion offered larger prizes, but will back off on that option because of the stricter record-keeping requirements.
“I wish they would show us the books from the lottery. There’s a lot of transparency that needs to be done. They’re asking for it from us, but not them,” Germuska said.