WAFB Channel 9, Baton Rouge, LA |Bill to change video bingo displays moves out of Senate committee

Bill to change video bingo displays moves out of Senate committee

BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - Some state legislators are working on a bill to shut down video bingo, at least in the form it's in now. Many parishes have video bingo machines, even though lawmakers voted to outlaw video poker. Legislators say the new video bingo machines might as well be video poker because they look so similar. 

"It's our fault. It's the legislature's fault that we created this problem for the last 4 to 5 years and I'm trying to resolve the problem," says Sen. Danny Martiny of Metairie. Legislators helped stop new video poker machines from getting licensed, but they did not specifically stop poker-like displays on other games, like video bingo. "We don't have any regulation. We don't tax them. We don't really regulate them," Sen. Martiny says.

A portion of video bingo proceeds do go to charity and to local governments, but none of the profits goes to the state, which is why Martiny says poker-like displays on the bingo machines need to be outlawed. "Nothing I ever heard suggested video bingo machines have to look like a slot machine," he says.

"All they're interested in is making money and the little money they do give to the city in return is having to pay a lot for those of us don't believe in any form of gambling or gaming," says Red Larkin of Hammond. However, Bay Edwards, who owns about one million dollars worth of video bingo machines, says it's about equality. He says if you allow old machine owners to keep their poker-like displays, the newer businesses with less exciting visuals have a major disadvantage. "It's like a football game. At halftime, you come in and change the rules," he says.

"I'm sick and tired of people coming in here year after year and saying can you just give us six more months," says the senator. Martiny got his way with the bill to change video bingo displays. It passed out of a Senate committee and goes to the Senate floor for another round of debate.

Reporter:  Caroline Moses, WAFB 9NEWS