CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Local bingo hall owners said the industry is taking a big hit as a result of growing competition of what they are calling sweepstakes or eight-liner gamer rooms.
The venues are popping up throughout Corpus Christi and a group of folks took their concerns to City leaders during Tuesday's council meeting.
"We are trying to compete with game rooms who have absolutely zero regulations rules, or have to abide by anything," Kathleen White said. "They can be open any hours of the day. Nobody has to know who owns them, operates them. The police and regulators can't get in to see what is happening in those."
White is a local bingo operator who told council there are over 100 game rooms throughout Nueces County.
She said when it comes to charitable bingo business, aside from the tax money gained by the City and County, there are many non-profits that also benefit.
However, in recent years, there has been a reported significant decrease in those contributions. She and others are putting the blame on game rooms.
"They are not paying taxes," Eddie Heinemeier with Charities in Bingo Hall said. "The City is not getting tax money off them. The County is not getting tax money off them, or the federal government. Bingo halls pay taxes. In fact, the state makes more off the bingo halls than charities do."
While it is not illegal to own or operate a game room in Texas, the law prohibits paying patrons out with cash.
Corpus Christi Police Chief Mike Markle also addressed those concerns.
"I think there is a false narrative out there to be quite blunt, that we haven't partaken in any enforcement action and we have in fact been the primary enforcement action for gaming and gabling rooms," Markle said.
The state legislature recently gave County Commissioners the legal authority to regulate game rooms in their counties like requiring permits to operate.
Nueces County has not created such an ordinance.