preliminary court ruling Thursday has left standing a Sacramento County ordinance allowing some types of electronic bingo.

A company producing a brand of the machines, New Vision Entertainment, is seeking to invalidate the county ordinance.

Both sides have asked for a hearing to clarify the court's position. The hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. today.

If the ruling stands, it would be a big win for local groups with charitable bingo operations. The groups have become increasingly dependent on revenue from the large slot-style electronic bingo machines.

"E-bingo is the new paradigm," said Doug Pringle, who runs a local bingo operation. "The old paper bingo was our grandma's game and isn't relevant to today's society."

The key issue before the court is whether paper cards are needed for games to be called bingo.

Last summer, the Attorney General's Division on Gambling Control reiterated a long-standing attorney general's position that bingo involves paper games, ink daubers and live callers.



The county's position has been that games in which players electronically compete against one another – and not against the machine – are legal.

Because the bingo machines allowed by the county mandate that the players be able to request a card printout, Judge Patrick Marlette's preliminary ruling was that they are permissible as bingo machines.

But with Indian gambling interests – who see the machines as infringing on their exclusive right to operate slot machines – pressuring the governor to step in, the issue is far from settled.

Disabled Sports USA, headed by Pringle, has a large bingo operation on Watt Avenue.

Dozens of touch-screen bingo machines fill part of the facility. Pringle, said losing electronic bingo, e-bingo as he calls it, would be monumental.

"So many of us have become dependent on e-bingo. It would be devastating," he said. "A lot of great charities would be adversely affected."