With Wyoming’s recent ban on electronic bingo, many charitable organizations are having difficulty keeping their heads above water. While gambling is illegal in Wyoming, charitable and non-profit organizations are allowed to operate bingo games. For three years, the permit for bingo also covered electronic bingo.

Since the ban on electronic bingo, revenues for the Casper Eagles Club, for example, are down close to $26,000 dollars, a phenomenon experienced by many non-profits, including the Elks, VFW and the Lions.

While members of the legislative interim committee tried to downplay the situation, saying that the groups should regard electronic bingo as a windfall which ended, members of the charitable organizations responded that the revenues had become a part of the active budget, and are now necessary for regular operation.

Charitable organizations have tried golfing tournaments, Sunday dinners, and a variety of other fund raisers, but funding remains a significant hurdle for many Wyoming charities.