The McGuinty bingo bill is becoming an issue of prime concern for the 4,000 charities currently supported by bingo profits. With 100 charity bingo halls operating throughout the province and close to 100,000 volunteers and workers helping organize bingo games, bingo has become the number one way for Ontario’s charitable organizations to secure funding.

With government funding cut, these charity organizations currently rely almost exclusively on bingo funding. As a result, these organizations are concerned with losing funding, and hence the ability to help the community.

The McGuinty bill would disallow smoking in bingo halls of any sort, without any regard to ventilation levels. The bingo bill proposes to outlaw smoking in any indoor public facility, and will no longer take into consideration the special designated smoking rooms specially designed for bingo halls.

Close to 70% of bingo players are smokers, and bingo hall operators and charities are very concerned that disallowing smoking in bingo halls will mean that the clientele will stop coming, opting for a venue where they are free to smoke.

Charity organizations fear that the change will decrease bingo attendance to below the masses needed to make it effective as a fundraiser, and will leave them searching for other means of support.