The county of Anne Arundel, Maryland recently approved legislation that raised the prize cap for its three commercial bingo halls. Merchants from the county's bingo halls believe that the ability to legally offer bigger prizes will help them thrive in the face of competition from gambling establishments in adjacent states.

According to the bill, progressive bingo games and linked bingo can be played legally, with players able to compete for prizes of up to $100,000. The previous prize cap was just $15,000. That means that if halls come together for a linked game, in which players participate in the same game from several locations via the internet, the jackpot could total as much as $300,000.

The bill was overwhelmingly approved in a vote of 6-1. Anne Arundel's last piece of bingo legislation to be adopted was in 2000, when the county approved a bill limiting the number of bingo licenses to be awarded.