Bingo is ruler in Georgia. Georgia is where Bingo originated in America, back in 1929. However during the years just after Bingo appeared (via Italy) at a fair in Georgia, the game ended up being made against the law with most other forms of gambling.
In 1976, Bingo was made legal for not for profit institutions. Since Bingo is one of only 3 kinds of gambling authorized in Georgia (along with raffles and also the state lotto), the game has develop into a big crowd pleaser.
You can find around 200 bingo providers in Georgia today. Georgians grossed over Thirty Five Million dollars in income for its Bingo operators in 2005, for the average of about $130,000 per operation. Georgians won around $20,000,000 in cash over the same span. Georgian charities saw $1,500,000 in proceeds from the Bingo sector.
Georgia has some of the toughest bingo regulations in the U.S. Operators are constrained in the sum of prizes they can pay at any one time. Games can hand out prizes with a $1,500 per session and three thousand dollars per week, which is far below the limits in particular states.
The GBI: Bingo Unit oversees bingo games inside the state. Within the last 25 years, close to Fifty businesses have lost their permit in Georgia for recurring violations of the state wagering laws. The result is that nearly all bingo palaces in Georgia are Veterans of Foreign Wars and service agencies, the type of agencies which run a game to fund their not for profit activities.
Of course, as long as bingo is a huge cash venture, there will be individuals who discover a way to work around the rules. With 12,000 or more individuals employed in the charitable betting industry of Georgia, the Bingo Unit is going to be busy in the years to come.