Bingo revenue assists 92 local charities
Playing bingo is not just about having fun, it’s also about giving back to the community.
Since the modernization of bingos across the province was implemented by Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. in 2013, changes in the industry have resulted in a substantial payday for charities.
Delta Bingo & Gaming Centre on Drummond Road in Niagara Falls recently announced 92 local organizations have benefited from more than $5 million in charitable gaming revenue over the past five years.
Those charities include Heart Niagara, Women’s Place of South Niagara and Niagara Falls Optimist Club.
At Big Brothers Big Sisters of Niagara Falls, for example, charitable gaming revenue allows the organization to match nine children with a Big Brother or a Big Sister each year.
“Thanks to their match with a caring volunteer mentor, they will reach more of their potential,” said Jon Braithwaite, the agency’s executive director.
Nancy Clayton, executive director of the Niagara chapter of Cystic Fibrosis Canada, said gaming revenue is “absolutely vital” in continuing the ongoing research into the deadly disease.
“When we first started bingo for CF the median age of survival was 17, now it is 50 and beyond,” she said. “All of our bingo proceeds are used for CF research so we are extremely grateful for the opportunity to raise these funds, to ensure that our quest for a cure will one day be a reality.”
OLG took over responsibility of the province’s bingo halls in May 2013 and its revitalization plans included adding electronic gaming to the mix.
“This is not your granny’s bingo any more,” said Pat Gaston, charity co-ordinator of the Delta Monte Carlo Gaming Sponsors Association.
“We’re not just bingo, we’re a gaming centre.”
Delta offers traditional bingo as well as digital bingo, play-ondemand games and TapTix machines, which are a modernized version of the conventional break open ticket. It also has a licensed bar and big screen televisions.
“There’s a lot of different aspects to bingo nowadays,” Gaston said.
The Delta Group, which owns Delta Bingo & Gaming, operates 18 locations in North America, including a hall in Fort Erie, and supports more than 750 local charities.