Governor: Our Veterans Are Counting On You
Veterans and their families across New York rely on their local VFWs and American Legions to provide a safe and dependable place for support. In a time when our organizations are struggling to keep our doors open, we urge the Governor to sign A7475B/S6351B, which will provide a vital and consistent source of funding for us now and into the future.
Bell jar games have been around for decades and allow our organizations to support many programs that benefit communities across New York. Without our bell jar donations, many charitable programs that support veterans, youth activities and scholarships, seniors, and countless others would suffer or not survive. In many ways, bell jar gaming addresses important needs where state and local programs cannot.
Unfortunately, veterans’ halls are struggling to survive. For those who have served our country, a local VFW or American Legion Post provides a safe space of comradery, especially for our aged veterans and those impacted by loneliness, PTSD, and suicide ideation. Isolation and suicidality are of even more concern around the holiday season. VFW halls across the state directly prevent these tragedies by providing a sense of community and belonging with people who have shared experiences. Our organizations are an important link to mental health and crisis services for veterans and their families. Bell jar gaming keeps our doors open so we can continue to provide these vital services.
Let’s look at the facts:
- The bill simply modernizes the current bell jar law to allow for updated vending machines, making it easier for our posts to manage their charitable games;
- There are only 683 cmTent bell jar license holders in NYS – this bill doesn’t change eligibility of who can host bell jar games or be considered a charitable organization;
- The bill requires that the organization must own or lease the premises where the bell jar vending machine is located which limits the number of organizations eligible;
- The State has the authority to approve or disapprove a license for ANY organization that applies or currently operates charitable games – this bill doesn’t change that;
- Other states that have expanded charitable gaming substantially further than what is proposed in the bill have seen no negative financial impact on commercial or state gaming revenue.
This bill has no impact on New York’s big gaming industry, but it has a tremendous impact on local veteran posts that use this vital revenue to contribute to community efforts statewide.
In 2018, then Governor Cuomo vetoed a charitable gaming bill supported by veterans. Our non-profit veteran groups suffered as a result. Don’t let history repeat itself.
We urge you to sign A7475B/S6351 immediately.
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