Ferriday citizens who have an opinion about the proposed charitable bingo hall need to contact their town council representative, Mayor Gene Allen said.

“I’ve had several people to call me to say that they would love to have bingo in our city,” said Allen.

“I don’t have a say in this,” Allen said. “I do not have a vote as to whether or not bingo is in the town.”

The town will host a public hearing to discuss the matter April 12.

“Once the public hearing is finished, then the council members will cast their vote,” Allen said.

If the license for the hall is granted, the matter will be settled.

“It won’t go to a public vote,” Allen said. “It’ll be a city ordinance.”

If passed, the ordinance will not allow multiple operators open bingo operations in the town.

“If the town council passes the ordinance we are drafting, we would have only one operation,” said Allen. “The ordinance will limit it.”

The idea for the hall was presented to the town council by two businessmen from Tallulah, Darryl Ellerbee and Edwin Moberly.

Operating under the auspices of the Office of Charitable Gaming, the proceeds of the hall would be split three ways.

Forty-five percent of profits would go to whatever charitable organization chose to utilize the hall for a six-hour block, 30 percent would go to the house for maintainence and the remaining twenty-five percent would be given to the Town of Ferriday.

“The hall will have your normal call bingo, as well as electronic bingo,” Moberly said.

“We plan to start off with 20 machines,” he said.

“The state limits the maximum number of machines to 35.”

The operation will only allow for the playing of bingo, Moberly said.

“These electronic machines are bingo only,” he said. “These are not video poker.

“There seems to be some confusion on that.”

Because the hall will be operated by non-profit orginizations, its success depends on them.

“This parlor is based on non-profit orginizations,” Moberly said. “If the non-profits do not sign up and support it, there will be no bingo hall.

“The guidelines on this are very strict. The organization has to be in existence for two years, and they have to file their taxes as a 501(c) 3 organization.”

Each non-profit group that wishes to use the hall must also obtain a license through the town of Ferriday and through the state Board of Charitable Gaming.

“We chose Ferriday because there is no source of entertainment there, no movie theatre — no nothing,” Moberly said.