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New law revives CSUB's annual Casino Night
| Monday, Jan 15 2007 10:35 PM
Last Updated: Monday, Jan 15 2007 10:42 PM
Cal State Bakersfield knows how to hold 'em, but last year, had to fold 'em.
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The school had to remove the casino from its annual Casino Night dinner and fundraiser last February after the California Attorney General's office cracked down on nonprofit gambling fundraisers.
Now a new state law is bringing the school back to the big table.
Effective Jan. 1, the law allows established nonprofit organizations one gambling fundraiser per year. It also limits gambling events to no more than five hours and at least 90 percent of the revenue must go directly to the nonprofit.
The previous law forbade gambling outside of card rooms or casinos.
"We're back in business, so to speak," said Mark Mayes, director of special events for Cal State Bakersfield athletics.
The school will host the 12th annual Casino Night on Feb. 16 with blackjack, craps and roulette. Participants receive fake cash and gamble to earn raffle tickets for prizes such as free gasoline and restaurant gift certificates.
Last year, the school held only the dinner and auction portions of the event, Mayes said.
Casino Night and the spring barbecue are two important fundraisers for the student athlete scholarship fund, he said. They bring in an average of $80,000 apiece.
Last year, Casino Night (without the gambling) brought in a little less than usual, about $70,000. He credits that to the success of the auction and sponsors who stayed on even after the casino games dropped out.
He said the athletic department qualifies under the new regulations because the sports program has been around for more than 30 years, all proceeds will go to the scholarship fund, no one under 21 will be allowed to play and the event will last five hours.
The school got word of the state crackdown in November 2005, Mayes said.
By that point, the school already had advertising and booklets printed for the event. The school moved the event date and revamped the party.
This year, the volunteer committee kept track of the new law's progress through the state Legislature, Mayes said. The committee had enough time to plan an event with or without gambling.
The Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce dropped its Heartland Saloon Casino Night altogether last year after the crackdown.
The organization decided not to bring it back in order to provide more member-beneficial programs, said chamber President Debbie Moreno.
For example, the organization will host the Disney Institute's The Disney Keys to Excellence business training program slated for March.
The casino event took too much time to coordinate, she said. The organization, which operates on membership dues and fundraisers, will be able to cover its expenses without the casino night.
The chamber will now hold just one fundraiser a year, its August summer social, which doesn't involve gambling.
Heartland Saloon Casino Night began more than 16 years ago. It reeled in $25,000 to $30,000 a year, Moreno said.
The casino night featured blackjack and roulette. All participants, even those who chose not to gamble, earned tickets for prizes.
Moreno first heard of the gambling event crackdown in fall 2005 when the casino night planning committee would have normally met. The group then decided to drop the fundraiser.
Moreno said it's unclear whether the casino night will be gone for good. The chamber evaluates its fundraising plans every fall.
Here are a few of the new rules for charity gambling fundraisers:
• Such fundraisers are limited to nonprofit organizations that have existed for at least three years.
• Nonprofits must register each year with the state Attorney General’s Division of Gambling Control and pay a registration fee of up to $100 to cover administration and enforcement costs.
• Nonprofits must maintain annual disclosure reports for each event.
• Only one fundraiser per calendar year using controlled games is allowed.
• Nonprofits that have multiple chapters may hold one fundraiser per chapter per calendar year.
• Each fundraiser must be no more than five hours long.
• Locations can only be used for gambling fundraisers four times a year.
• Cash prizes or wagers awarded to participants are prohibited. Winners may be entitled to a donated prize. • Individual prizes must not exceed a cash value of $500. A total value of prizes awarded must not exceed a cash value of $5,000.
• At least 90 percent of the revenue must go directly to the nonprofit.
• More than 10 percent of the gross receipts of a fundraiser must not be paid as compensation to the entity or people conducting the fundraiser, excluding a facility-rental fee.
• People under 21 years of age must not participate.
Source: California Attorney General’s office