Lawmakers Agree to End Florida’s Brief Ban on Bingo

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — State legislators on Tuesday reversed a brief ban on bingo when the Senate yielded in a standoff with the House.

“You can do anything in the world and the public will forgive you,” said Rep. Elvin Martinez. “But if you take away the bingo, you’re a dead duck.”

Laws authorizing bingo, which is often played for charity, expired at a “sunset” deadline of 12:01 a.m. Monday, making the game just another form of illegal gambling.

The House proposed a 30-day extension of the laws to give it time to work on tougher regulations aimed at keeping tabs on the books of bingo halls and keeping out organized crime.

But state Sen. W. D. Childers, chairman of the Commerce Committee, wanted bingo exempt from an expiration deadline and blocked passage of the House proposal.

A compromise was worked out, and the Senate agreed to extend the life of legal bingo until July 1, 1993. House members plan to continue work on tougher bingo regulations.

Before Gov. Lawton Chiles signed the compromise into law, playing bingo for money was illegal for 36 hours. Violators faced a misdemeanor punishable by 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.