SAFFORD — Safford is rapidly becoming the place to play bingo.
At its most recent meeting, the Safford City Council recommended approval of two more bingo licenses — one for the American Legion Riders and the other for Foreign Angels Charities.
However, the decision was not made before the council received advice from its attorney, William Sims, who said there are “gray areas” when it comes to bingo machine use.
“There has been litigation, and in fact it went to court. And the court decided that the state didn’t have the power to hold the equipment; it had to return them,” Sims said. “The (court) did not find, did not decide, in fact the gray area, that the uses are legal.”
Foreign Angels Charities, which provides supplies and volunteers at orphanages in Ukraine and the Philippines, wants to operate bingo as a fund-raiser at Copper Steer Steakhouse on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
The machines are already in place because the City Council approved in May the machines’ placement and use Fridays through Tuesdays at Copper Steer by Outreach Arizona, which provides support for veterans.
American Legion Riders want to stage bingo at American Legion Swift-Murphy Post 32 on Mondays and Tuesdays, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Both Foreign Angels and Legion Riders are seeking Class B Bingo licences. A Class B license holder cannot exceed $500,000 a year in gross receipts, and is taxed at 1.5 percent.
In May, the council voted in favor of a Class A Bingo license for SEACUS to operate bingo at the Senior Center on Thursdays at 12:30 p.m. A Class A license holder is taxed at 2.5 percent of any gross receipts that have not been paid as prizes.
The City Council’s recommendations will be forwarded to the Arizona Department of Revenue for final action.
