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Video bingo hall opens Thursday
More than a decade after Franklin Parish voters outlawed video poker, video gaming will return to the town of Winnsboro on Thursday, when Winnsboro Bingo opens its doors in the old Wal-Mart Shopping Center.
The new bingo hall will employ at least nine individuals as well as contribute a substantial portion of its profits to local charities, according to facility manager Shan Pearson.
Winnsboro Mayor Jack Hammonds said the new video bingo hall will provide the city with a minimum $120,000 in funding during its first year of operations and 20 percent of its net income each year after that.
"This will give the city and our local charities some income and hopefully help these local charities enough that they won't have to ask our local businesses for assistance," Hammonds said.
Hammonds pointed to neighboring communities where video bingo has seen some success.
"Since the bingo halls are surrounding us in Richwood, Rayville, Monroe and other areas, I feel like if our people want to play these games they'll play," Hammonds said.
Winnsboro Bingo will be staffed by nine fulltime employees and house some 29 video bingo machines. Additionally, various local charities will be allowed to host traditional, carded games, or "call" bingo, in a room adjacent to the facility.
Pearson said each of the charities will receive 100 percent of the proceeds from the call bingo games and 40 percent of the revenue from the video bingo games.
Among local charities named as participants were the Franklin Parish Black Achievers Association, the Franklin Association for Retarded Citizens and Tinkerbelle's Daycare.
Hammonds said no one has come forward to oppose video bingo in Winnsboro.
"We had a public hearing on it and had no opposition," Hammonds said.
The facility will open its doors on Thursday, Jan. 24 and has scheduled a formal grand opening celebration Fri., Feb. 9. |
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