Sacred Heart’s popular casino night will be open for business
this year, although members of the school’s Parents’ Association
have had to utilize some creative thinking to avoid scrutiny from
the Department of Justice.
Hollister – Sacred Heart’s popular casino night will be open for business this year, although members of the school’s Parents’ Association have had to utilize some creative thinking to avoid scrutiny from the Department of Justice.
Organizations around the state that put on similar events to Sacred Heart’s have been shut down or considerably altered after the DOJ’s recent crackdown on gaming – something Sacred Heart’s Parents’ Association members were determined not to have happen.
“I can’t even tell you the number of hours everybody’s put into this,” said Maria Donati, co-chair of the Casino Night Committee.
Sacred Heart, a private Catholic elementary and middle school, was made aware of possible problems with its fundraiser in August when the diocese’s legal counsel sent a letter detailing state law regarding illegal gaming. According to the California Penal Code, any person – including a charitable organization – caught running an illegal game of chance or “banking game,” such as blackjack, can be subject to a $1,000 fine, six months in jail or both.
That’s bad news for non-profits and charitable groups such as Sacred Heart. The school’s casino night typically features blackjack, roulette, craps games and slot machines. Texas Hold ‘Em was slated for this year’s event, but the Parents’ Association decided to avoid further legal trouble and drop it.
“We’ve talked to the District Attorney and the Sheriff’s Department and we’ve followed the guidelines that the casino company we’re working with recommended, so everybody knows what’s going on,” Donati said.
Where Sacred Heart once charged a fee for playing chips and awarded prizes to big winners, the games are now required to be free for everyone under the law, and prizes are to be distributed at random. The school will be accepting free-will donations, however, and is still charging for dinner, drinks and holding a silent auction. The popular reverse drawing, however, in which participants could win $10,000, will have to go because the law requires the school to keep at least 90 percent of the event’s earnings.
While Donati admits that the Parents’ Association was worried whether or not they would be able to successfully pull off the event and stay within the confines of the law, she does not believe the restrictions will put too much of a dent in the fundraiser’s bottom line.
“The silent auction is usually the big moneymaker, and that’s gone pretty smoothly,” she said. “We’re hoping that people will feel for us this year and come out to support us.”
Donati is confident that Casino Night will be as enjoyable for the community and beneficial for the school as it is every year, but the Parents’ Association isn’t out of the woods yet. Should Casino Night fail to bring in enough money, Scared Heart might abandon the event and search for a profitable fundraiser for next year.
“We just have to cross our fingers and see what happens,” Donati said.
Assemblymember Alberto Torrico, D-Fremont, introduced AB 839 last February that would amend current law to allow non-profit organizations to conduct fundraisers for other non-profits using controlled games as a form of funding. The bill was supported by the Department of Justice and would require that 98 percent of the funds earned go toward the charity. The bill eventually died in the Assembly Appropriations committee but was revived and is currently on the Assembly floor.
Representatives from Torrico’s office could not be reached for comment regarding the current state of the bill.
Casino Night will be held Feb. 11 at the Bolado Park pavilion. Admission is free but donations are welcome, and guests must be over 21 years of age to attend.
