Bingo Becomes Increasingly Tough Gamble for Texas Charities

More than 30 years after being created to raise money, charity bingo is facing renewed scrutiny across Texas for not living up to its promise.

The Texas Lottery Commission has yanked the licenses of fewer than a dozen bingo operators statewide, the Austin American-Statesman reported. The state can revoke a bingo license if the operator doesn’t demonstrate that its operations are creating proceeds for charity.

More than 600 organizations sponsored bingo games in 2015, but the move by the lottery commission appears to be the first time the state has stripped the licenses of underperforming bingo operators.