Hammond video bingo revenue up

• By DEBRA LEMOINE
• Advocate Florida parishes bureau
• Published: Apr 23, 2008 - Page: 4B - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

• Print
• Email
• Save
• Reprints
• Twitter
• Share

• Del.icio.us
• Digg
• Facebook
• Reddit
• 

HAMMOND — The city’s two video bingo parlors have taken in more than $1.3 million during the first quarter of 2008, according to estimates based on city tax collections released Tuesday.

The parlors paid the city a total of $264,358 for games played from January through March, according to tax receipts.

Each quarter, the two parlors pay the city a 20 percent tax on their net win, which is how much money they take in minus payouts to winners.

The collections are up from the previous quarter when the city collected $209,501 in video-bingo tax revenue.

This sixth public reporting of video bingo collections since the two parlors opened in October 2006 brings city tax collections on the games to more than $1.25 million.

Cypress Palace Bingo and Hammond Bingo Palace have together brought in an estimated $6.5 million since they opened Oct. 6, 2006.

Backers of a third parlor have the zoning approvals needed to open at Tangi Lanes Bowling on Thomas Street.

The advent of a third parlor reignited the controversy surrounding video bingo in the city and sparked a voter petition drive to place a video bingo ban proposition on the November ballot.

Backers of the ban, Citizens for a Better Hammond, must collect 1,604 signatures by May 22.

Hammond lawyer Douglas Brown said the group has at least half of the needed signatures at this point.

An exact tally was not available because the group is still counting the petitions for its next meeting Thursday.

The public is invited to attend the group’s meeting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in St. Paul Lutheran Church, 707 W. Dakota St., Hammond.

Video bingo is much like video poker in that users insert money into machines to play the games.