Charities lose out as legal gambling increases

Kenneth Lovett at the New York Post had an exclusive scoop today on the impact legalized gambling is having on the ability of churches and other nonprofits to raise funds through bingo, pull-tabs, raffles and Las Vegas nights.

The North American Gaming Almanac reported that in New York these groups raised more than $140 million in 2001, the same year the state enacted the largest expansion of legalized gambling. The report shows that charitable-gambling revenues was down to nearly $122 million in 2002 and in 2005 it continued its fall to just over $97 million.

Perhaps earlier reports which blamed the closure of bingo halls on new smoking bans may be a little off the mark... especially if it's true that during the same period the charity revenues dropped 40%, the overall gambling revenue in New York jumped by 23 percent.