Gambling in America - Bingo And Other Charity-sponsored Games

Charitable gambling is permitted in all states except Arkansas, Hawaii, Tennessee, and Utah. In 2002 it constituted almost 4% of the total amount wagered on legalized gambling in the United States, according to Christiansen Capital Advisors LLC. Of this total, bingo accounted for close to half. Charity games included bingo, raffles, casino nights, and jar tickets, among others. Bingo sessions were a common form of fund-raising by charitable organizations, such as churches, synagogues, and service clubs. It was a relatively inexpensive social and recreational pursuit;

TABLE 6.4

Casino participation rate by age, 2002
SOURCE: "Age Differences in Casino Participation," in Profile of the American Casino Gambler, Harrah's Entertainment, 2003, http://www.harrahs.com/about_us/survey/index.html (accessed September 10, 2004). Data from Harrah's Entertainment, Inc., NFO WorldGroup, and U.S. Census Bureau.
21–35 years old	25%
36–50	25%
51–65 years old	30%
66 and above	27%

FIGURE 6.3

however, industry observers believed that bingo was declining in terms of both popularity and revenues.