Charitable gaming; remuneration for bingo callers and bingo managers.
Summary
HB1920 amends Virginia’s charitable gaming laws to increase the maximum remuneration that may be paid to bingo managers and callers, while retaining the existing registration and qualification framework. The bill raises the per-session pay cap for registered bingo managers and callers from $100 to $200, and it adds a new requirement that, beginning October 1, 2029, the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services must adjust that $200 amount annually for inflation. It also preserves the existing rule that holiday bingo work must be paid at least one and one-half times the regular rate.
The bill keeps in place the broader restrictions on charitable gaming operations, including limits on who may participate, prize caps, supplier rules, and the prohibition on using gaming proceeds for nonpermitted purposes. It continues to require bingo managers and callers to be registered with the Department, and it leaves intact the Department’s authority to approve, suspend, revoke, or refuse renewal of those registrations. The measure is focused narrowly on compensation for bingo labor rather than on expanding the types of games allowed or loosening oversight generally.
Impact
HB1920 directly amends Code of Virginia §§ 18.2-340.33 and 18.2-340.34:1. Its principal legal effect is to increase the statutory compensation ceiling for bingo managers and callers and to create an inflation-adjustment mechanism for that cap starting in 2029. The bill also reinforces that remuneration is limited to registered or exempt individuals and does not alter the existing registration, training, disqualification, or disciplinary provisions governing bingo managers and callers. Charitable organizations that conduct bingo games may now pay higher wages within the statutory framework, but all other charitable gaming restrictions remain in force.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have enjoyed broad bipartisan support and little visible opposition. It moved through subcommittee, committee, and both chambers with overwhelming votes, including unanimous committee action and near-unanimous floor passage in the House and unanimous passage in the Senate. The voting pattern suggests the measure was viewed as a modest, practical update to compensation rules rather than a controversial change to charitable gaming policy.
Contention
There is little evidence of major contention in the available record. The main policy issue is the increase in allowable pay for bingo managers and callers, which could be seen as helping organizations recruit and retain workers while also raising concerns about higher operating costs or the commercialization of charitable gaming. The bill’s inflation-indexing provision may also draw attention because it automatically increases the cap over time. However, the strong vote totals indicate that any concerns were limited and did not prevent consensus around the measure.