| | The Austin Chronicle News: Beware of Bingo Narcs! |
 | | According to the Bingo Enabling Act, the 1981 legislation that made bingo a state-regulated game, conducting games illegally is a third-degree felony punishable by two to 10 years in the pen and up to a $10,000 fine. |
 | | Bingo is big business: Lottery Commission figures show that the game has produced $9.8 billion in gross receipts, $7.1 billion in prize payouts, $682.4 million in charitable distributions, and $151.9 million allocated back to county and municipal governments since becoming state-sanctioned in 1982, with 484.7 million people attending games. |
 | | The act prohibits Texans from playing bingo in the privacy of their own homes if more than 15 people participate; private games must be played on a game set typically purchased at a toy store for under $20. |
| www.austinchronicle.com /issues/dispatch/2002-08-02/pols_feature3.html (1103 words) |