Only true charities should profit from gaming events
Thanks to fast action on the part of the Bredesen administration, Tennesseans stand a good chance of avoiding another “Rocky Top” gambling scandal when charitable gaming comes back to the state.
Gov. Phil Bredesen intercepted a trio of fast-track bills that would have established charitable gambling with few restrictions or safeguards to prevent corruption and abuse. In the end, the state ended up with a charitable gaming bill that has appropriate safeguards. That’s the way it should be.
The original bills were being rushed through the legislative process with little notice until some lawmakers raised questions. The lack of oversight and broad operating limits would have allowed professional gaming companies to run charitable gambling events. The original legislation was an open invitation to abuse the system.
That, rightfully, sent shudders down the spines of Tennesseans who remember the Rocky Top bingo scandal of the late 1980s. By the time the practice was declared unconstitutional, gaming companies were running bingo parlors all over Tennessee under the guise of charitable gaming.
The revised proposal would prohibit professional companies from running charitable gaming events. Only charities themselves could put on the events. The new bill also requires some proceeds, the percentage yet to be determined, to actually be used for charitable purposes.
This will enable legitimate charities to raise money with annual gaming events without the specter of gambling industry quick-buck artists descending on Tennessee. It also should spare the state and Tennesseans further embarrassment from gambling corruption in the name of doing a good deed.