By Alabama Public Radio
Eutaw, AL – A high stakes bingo operation in Greene County enjoyed a moderately successful first day yesterday.
Local officials hope bringing bingo to struggling Greenetrack dog track will breathe new life into their economically troubled area. Greene County voters approved a constitutional amendment in November that allows bingo to be played in benefit of local non-profit groups. Macon County voters approved a similar amendment, which allowed bingo games for charity to be played at the VictoryLand greyhound track in Shorter. Those games started last month.
In Greene County, a projected 92 percent of the bingo bets will be returned to players in winnings. The other 8-percent will be given to nonprofit organizations, after Greenetrack recoups its operational costs. Payouts are limited to 10-thousand dollars per session. However, there is no limit to how long, or how short, a session can be.
The operation is projected to generate about 1-point-4) million dollars for local nonprofit agencies this year.