State Sen. Michael Nozzolio has proposed legislation to allow charitable organizations running fund-raising games of chance to offer prizes on par with those offered by American Indian gaming enterprises.

The bill would apply to charitable organizations and not-for-profit corporations located within a 50-mile radius of an Indian gaming enterprise.

"At the very least, (this would) level the playing field for not-for-profits that find themselves competing with Indian games of chance. This was an effort to establish some type of equitable competition," Nozzolio said.

Under state statue, charitable organizations or not-for-profits running bingo nights may only offer a single game maximum prize of $1,000 or a maximum of $3,000 payout for all the bingo games played that night. Bell jar, or pull tab tickets, are limited to a single ticket prize maximum of $500 and a $3,000 payout.

The only exception is the earlybird games, or progressive carry over games, where the jackpot can accumulate from night to night until the prize is nabbed.

In contrast, Union Springs' 86-seat bingo parlor Lakeside Entertainment - run by the Cayuga Indian Nation of New York - offers an average of $1,700 to $47,000 jackpots.

Nozzolio introduced the bill because the Seneca County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution in 2003 asking for it.

"Here's what we have found: fire departments, veterans' groups, churches, schools, fraternal organizations that all conduct bingo, they're all limited in the amounts of monies that they can have as a jackpot, but the tribes can offer unlimited amounts of jackpots," said Rich Ricci, chairman of Seneca County's' Indian land claim committee.

Ricci said the bingo nights run by the Sons of Italy in Geneva and the Magee Fire Department in Seneca County saw their bingo revenues drop because of competition from the Cayugas' bingo parlor in Seneca Falls on Route 89, and that St. Mary's Church in Waterloo and St. Patrick's Church in Seneca Falls discontinued their bingo nights because of the loss of revenue.

Increasing the jackpot limits on bingo may not mean much if churches and other organizations don't have the space to house greater numbers of attendees.

Doug Mason, who is one of the organizers for the bingo night at Sacred Heart Church in Auburn, said that the $1,000 to $1,500 Sacred Heart gives out during a bingo night is the most they can offer because of sizing limitations. They wouldn't be able to house more people, which would then bring in more payments to the pool for a bigger payout, Mason said.

"That's about what our market will bear," Mason said.

Paul Kilmer, the chairman of St. Alphonsus Church's Wednesday night bingo games, said that St. Alphonsus gives out $1,400 in prizes on a regular bingo night and could probably accommodate a bigger prize if the legislation limit changed.

"I think it would be a plus to us, but I don't think the Lakeside did much to us," Kilmer said.

Nozzolio, R-Seneca Falls, introduced similar legislation last year, but it never moved forward.

Nozzolio said that the 2005 legislation is being reviewed in fellow legislators' offices in both the Senate and the Assembly. The bill would have to get committee approval form the Racing and Wagering committee, the Senate's finance committee and the Assembly's finance committee.

"Really, it's going to need that broad-based support to be enacted," Nozzolio said. "We're hopeful that it will be supported in the future as more and more entities realize they're being impacted."

Staff writer Amaris Elliott-Engel can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 282 or at amaris.elliot-engel@lee.net