City’s 2nd-Largest Bingo Parlor Loses Its License
A Los Angeles charities regulator Friday revoked the license of the city’s second-largest bingo parlor, saying it paid workers in violation of laws aimed at keeping bingo an amateur pastime to raise money for worthy causes.
Robert Burns, general manager of the city Department of Social Service, revoked the license of Identity Inc., a Woodland Hills-based bingo parlor where thousands of players wagered more than $3.3 million in 1991.
Identity, a charity for disabled youth, operates three games a week for about 300 customers per session. Identity has had gross receipts of more than $28 million since it opened, according to city records. In 1991, 11.8% of its proceeds went to its charity, and the remainder to pay prizes and overhead. The revocation is effective next Friday, but director Edith Ryan said that she intends to sue in Superior Court to block Burns’ ruling.
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