The Senate has given near-unanimous final passage to HCR 10, a measure rejecting a rule from the state Lottery Commission that even the commission said would inadvertently have shut down the three-day-a-week charitable bingo at the Coeur d'Alene Greyhound Park, in an attempt to target groups like "Big Bucks Bingo" in Garden City, which ran into legal trouble for trying to operate under the state's charitable bingo law. Sen. Joe Stegner, R-Lewiston, told the Senate the Greyhound Park bingo operation has raised $286,000 for various charities since 2004. "And bang, this Rule 303 of the Lottery Commission would have put them out of business in that charitable activity," he said. "When this was brought to the attention of the Lottery Commission, they actually asked for this rule to be rejected."

Stegner persuaded most of the Senate, but not Sen. Jeff Siddoway, R-Terreton, who cast the only "no" vote.  He said afterwards, "I just wanted to leave it where it was - I don't like these charitable bingo games." You can read my full story here at spokesman.com.

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