Beach bingo operators would be regulated and would have to get a license to operate under a bill that passed the state Senate on Wednesday.
Beach bingo is distinguished from charity bingo games operated by nonprofit or tax-exempt organizations. Under the bill, beach bingo operators would have to pay a $300 application fee and annual renewal fees of $300 to operate in the state. Businesses operating a beach bingo game without a license could be charged with a misdemeanor.
“We feel like if the nonprofits have to buy a license and pay a fee of $200 per year then we should do the same for those who are profit-making and are all over the state,” Rep. Pat Hurley, R-Randolph, told the Senate Finance Committee earlier in the week. “Nonprofits have to register with the state.”
State officials say they don’t know how many beach bingo operations are active in the state. Rodney Beckom with the state Alcohol Law Enforcement Division told the committee that “roughly several hundred exist.”
The bill passed the House last year. It will now return to the House for concurrence over minor changes in the measure’s language.