Trending
WARREN -- Two Hubbard seniors requested the Trumbull County commissioners tell the leaders of the county's SCOPE centers to reverse a recent decision eliminating cash prizes from bingo games at the centers.
Ronda Brooks and Jean Cramer pleaded with the commissioners to use their influence with the leadership of the county's eight SCOPE centers to allow the individual senior centers to determine whether they want to conduct their bingo games with cash prizes or by providing gifts.
Brooks noted that many of the seniors who attend Hubbard SCOPE do not want to play to win gifts.
"They want to play for cash," Brooks said. "For some of our seniors, that is the only activity they attend due to physical limitations and transportation."
Brooks said that many of the seniors who regularly attend feel it is their right to play for money.
She emphasized that the amount of cash available to win is not much. Players provide no more than 25 cents per card.
"The winner receives the money collected at the end of the game," she said. "This is important to our seniors."
Last week, Jeff Rasile, who was named executive director of Trumbull County SCOPE earlier this year, said that SCOPE's leadership decided to temporarily end cash bingo because, in part, some people running the centers did not know the rules required to run a cash program.
Brooks, on Tuesday, said it is management's responsibility to establish the rules and train staff.
"There are solutions to every problem," Brooks said.
Buying prizes to provide bingo winners will cost the centers more money than giving them cash prizes from money collected at the beginning of the games, Brooks noted.
"It is creating more work for them to account for them (for the prizes)," she said. "When the seniors are paying a quarter per game and getting it right back, why are we going through all of this? We are going out to businesses begging to donate prizes. The seniors do not want this."
Brooks noted some seniors who only go to the centers for bingo will not continue going. They will not have socialization with other seniors and others in the community.
"I would like to see a solution," Brooks said.
Commissioner Tony Bernard questioned whether the commissioners could legally force SCOPE to allow cash bingo.
"We can write them a letter asking them to reconsider this," Bernard said.
Commissioner Denny Malloy said they can't force them to allow cash bingo.
"We can't tell them how to run their business," he said. "We can recommend things, which we did."
Commissioner Rick Hernandez agreed that a letter could be written.
Diane Siskowic-Jurkovic, administrator of the senior levy, emphasized that each SCOPE center has its own board of directors that decide how they want to run their operations.
"To keep the activity legal, they have to follow the legal standards," he said. "If corporate decides it does not want to deal with the money. Somebody possibly being accused of stealing the money, that's when the board said 'No.'"
Cramer, 94, who attends the Hubbard SCOPE center, said when she plays bingo she is relaxed. She is an independent operator. She does not have to depend on anyone.