PAGE 4, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 1985, WHITBY FREE PRESS whitby Voice of the County Town Michael lan Burgess, Publisher - Managing Editor The only Whitby newspaper independently owned and operated by Whitby residents for Whitby residents. Published every Wednesday MICHAEL KNELL by M.B.M. Publishiig and Photography Inc. Phone 668-611i The Free Press Building, 11I Brock Street North, P.0. Box 206. Whitby. Ont. MICHAEL KNELL Community Editor VALERIE COWEN Advertising Manager Sec°ndclass Ma r Council should take another look at the issue Bingo decision was made in haste Two weeks ago, Whitby Town Council voted to allow non-Whitby groups to continue operating bingos at the Hideaway Bingo Hall. However, nintaining the status quo came at a price - these non-Whitby groups would have to give-up their spot if a Whitby community organization decided it wanted to get Into the bingo business as the owners have promised. The Issue came before council because the owners of the Hideaway did not wish to see a second bingo hall open in Whitby. According to them, a second bingo hall would prove detrimen- tal to those community organizations already raising money through bingos. Upon reflection, and after, research, this newspaper believes that Whitby Town Council may have acted with undue haste and without enough Information. This newspaper has discovered that bingo in Whitby Is big business. According to figures sup- plied to us by the clerk's department bingo Is a $2.38 million (approximately) a year business. The figures supplied by the clerk's department were for the last two 13-week periods of operation by the 14 groups who operated bingos at the Hîdeaway. Taken as an average, we then projected them over an entire year. What we discovered was that each club earns an average 'profit' of about $19,807 a year from its bingo operations. This is substantially lower than the $25,000 to $35,000 mentioned in clerk Don MacKay's original report to council on this sub- ject. Prize winners were, of course, the biggest beneficiaries of bingo in Whitby. They took away about $33,606 a week in prizes during the period of our study. The club's earned about $5,332 a week (or $277,300 a year) for their various community projects each week and had about $7,019 a week (or $364,988 annually) in expenses which includes mostly "rent", some advertising and other items. In fact, according to one local service club, they pay a minimum of $600 a week in "rent" for the privilege of operating a bingo and pay a larger amount if the revenues increase. Other expenses are additional including approximately $120 a month for cards and advertising. This newspaper would like to see Whitby Town Council re-examine this issue considering the following points: -The owners of the Hideaway (who rent the hall and then re-rent to the clubs) said that the opening of a second bingo hall would detrimentally affect the community groups they serve. While that may or may not be true, this newspaper would aise like to suggest that the owners inparticular would suffer detrimentally if such a hall were to open. Right now, there is no other place in Whitby specializing in bingos for these clubs to go to, so the Hideaway currently enjoys a monopoly. -Another thing we would like to point out is that the owners of the Hideaway could not operate without the service clubs. It is illegal to run a bingo for private profit. Hence, without the non- profit organizations no bingo licenses would be issued and no profit for the owners. From what the clubs have told us, it would appear that most of the money turned over to the Hideaway is simply "rent". -We would also like to point out that when the Hideaway opened, it sounded the death knell for the old Whitby Community Bingo that was held at the Heydenshore Pavillon every Monday night. In other words, the owners want courncil to protect them from the same kind of threat they posed to the old Whitby Community Bingo. It should also be noted that the Whitby Community Bingo con- tributed directly to the town's coffers because it paid rent for a town owned facility, and not to a middleman who in turn pays some of It to a privately owned facility. -When the original meeting was held by the operations committee the only persons invited were the owners of the Hideaway, the operators of current bingo games and the gentleman who proposed to open a second bingo hall. The meeting was not open to ail service clubs, chur- ches and other organizations who may or may not want to open a bingo in Whitby. Therefore, the committee heard but one side of the story. Not ail points of view were brought to bear. -When looking at this issue, council did not take the time to determine who really benefits (or profits) from the operation of a private bingo hall. Many bingos held in other communities are located in municipally owned facilities or in buildings owned by churches and other com- munity organizations. Bingo Is big business and since it is technically gambling, the issue of who earn s whatdonoymt be etaddressrdprTis newspaper does not believe it is right for private individuals to profit from the activities of com- munity organizations, and, finally. Me believe that bingos should be operated by local non-profit groups who channel the money they earn back Into the community. We believe that the local service clubs etc. who run bingos In Whitby use this money for the benefit of this town. However, we are concerned when local groups have to pay over $300,000 a year In "rent". That kind of rent would support a two million dollar complex at todays mortgage rates. There is much more to this Issue than meets the eye. We do not believe that Whitby Town Council acted with ail the facts In front of It. As we have pointed out, bingo is big business in Whitby. After ail, there are not that many businesses in Whitby that gross $2.38 million a year. We belleve, and advocate, that council should take another look at the issue and ensure that bingo in Whitby Is operated for the benefit of the people living in this town and not for the benefit of vested business interests. published every Wednesday