Three public meetings scheduled to discuss charitable gaming in Virginia

The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) Office of Charitable and Regulatory Programs announced Aug. 22 it will hold several public meetings to identify and discuss possible amendments to the charitable gaming statute and the charitable gaming regulations.

The meetings will take place in August and September throughout the state. Specific details are listed below:

Richmond
Tuesday, August 26, 10:00 a.m.
Virginia State Capitol Building, Senate Room 3. The entrance is located on Bank Street at 10th Street.

Hampton Roads
Wednesday, September 3, 11:00 a.m.
Meyera Oberndorf Central Library
4100 Virginia Beach Boulevard, Virginia Beach, Virginia.
             
Northern Virginia
Friday, September 5, 11:00 a.m.
Loyal Order of Moose 1896, 9616 Courthouse Road, Vienna, Virginia.

Stakeholders are invited to discuss the current state of the industry and share their ideas and viewpoints on how to maintain the viability of charitable gaming in Virginia while continuing proper regulation. Possible areas of discussion may include current regulatory practices, as well as possible legislative and regulatory changes. Attendees are encouraged to review the following documents prior to the meetings:

·      Charitable Gaming Statutes (§ 18.2-340.15 et seq., Code of Virginia)
·      Charitable Gaming Regulations (11 VAC 15-40 et seq.)

These documents are also available in PDF format from the VDACS website at http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov  Sele.ct “Charitable Gaming” from the list of options on the left-hand side of the homepage, and then select “Statute and Regulations.”

For planning purposes, stakeholders are asked to let VDACS know which of the meetings they are planning to attend by calling Gladys Brooks at 804.786.1382 or emailing her at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

The VDACS Office of Charitable and Regulatory Programs promotes the integrity of charitable gaming, which includes bingo, instant bingo and raffles within the Commonwealth of Virginia. Charitable organizations conduct charitable gaming as way to raise funds. In calendar year 2013, charitable organizations contributed more than $25 million for approved charitable purposes from their Virginia charitable gaming proceeds.