LaRe Bill to Permit Use of Electronic Instant Bingo Devices Passes House
COLUMBUS – A bill sponsored by State Representatives Adam Holmes (R-Nashport) and Jeff LaRe (R-Violet Twp.) to permit the use of electronic instant bingo devices today passed the Ohio House.
House Bill 282’s intent is to allow charitable organizations to have the option to offer both paper and electronic formats for instant bingo.
Charitable bingo was first authorized by the Ohio Constitution in 1975. It originally allowed organizations including veterans, fraternal and 501(c)(3) organizations to conduct these types of games as long as they are licensed through the Ohio Attorney General’s office.
“Over time and with the advancement of technology, traditional bingo games can now be played on electronic devices,” said Holmes. “The expansion of instant bingo games to electronics is a necessary modernization task.”
Under this legislation, the Attorney General’s office will continue to oversee and regulate charitable bingo. It will be the office’s responsibility to ensure organizations that wish to participate in electronic bingo are licensed and in good standing with the IRS.
“This legislation will ensure a more secure use of instant bingo, as all prizes and reports will be automatically recorded and accounted in the machine’s software,” said LaRe. “The revenue from electronic bingo goes to amazing, charitable causes and it’s time we bring charitable bingo into the 21st century.”
House Bill 282 passed with a vote of 90-2 and now heads to the Senate for concurrence.
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For more information, contact Representative Holmes’s office at (614) 644-6014 or Rep97@OhioHouse.gov or contact Rep. LaRe’s office at (614) 466-8100 or rep77@ohiohouse.gov