All Day Bingo

Televised Bingo Game Look to Boost Lottery Revenues

Traditionally Bingo is associated with Little old ladies and pensioners playing in Church basements but that could soon change as bingo will be joining the ranks of big-time gambling. Massachussetts Treasurer Timothy Cahill is seriously considering launching a televised bingo game in an effort to raise Massachussetts' Lottery revenues.

According to Mr. Cahill, the main idea is to keep the Bay State players from heading out of Massachussetts for casinos in Rhode Island and Connecticut. Making players stay in Massachussetts will earn the state good revenues which can be used back in their local communities in the form of state aid. But Treasury officials said that bingo is only one of the options to generate revenues and there is no definite decision yet regarding the matter.

Just last week, Timothy Cahill has already began soliciting for a study on how to maximize revenues coming from Lotteries. Eileen O'Connor added that Treasurer Cahill did not create the Lottery but he has the responsibility to run the Lotteries' operation smoothly and responsibly.

It is one of the strategies that Steve Mauro, the owner of Mauro's Market in Southborough, has just recently used. He estimated that as much as 20% of his business comes from its Lottery Sales but he is worried that their customers will patronize the nearby casinos instead of them.

He added that no matter what, people will continue to indulge in any form of gambling. A lot of his customers go to casinos but why not keep them from spending outside Massachussetts? A lot of convenience store owners already rely upon it.

One Revere resident, Paul Stornaiuolo who stop at Steve Mauro's place to buy a scratch ticket, said that nothing would change even with his taxes nor will it fix roads in their place if it becomes permanent. He still has to pay his taxes regardless of the matter.