Officials for the City of Windsor and the Town of Tecumseh say they will be defending a massive class-action bingo lawsuit.
If the suit is successful it could leave the municipalities - and taxpayers - on the hook for more than $70 million.
The issue dates back to 1993 and stems from licence fees for bingo and other charitable gaming events. The charge is that the city and town should not have been collecting licence and administrative fees that were charged to charities raising funds through bingo. A news release says the maximum amount charged for the licence fee was $165.
Windsor and Tecumseh are taking steps to build awareness about the lawsuit with the goal of persuading the organizations that have raised money through bingo and lottery events that they should consider opting out of the lawsuit before the opt-out period expires on May 15.
The release says that many organizations are unaware that they are part of the lawsuit.
“We believe that opting out will help ensure we can support our roads and infrastructure, our community services, and our parks and recreation facilities," said Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens.
"Considering how much revenue these organizations made from these bingo events, opting out of the lawsuit is a clear sign that they too support our municipalities.”
Tecumseh Mayor Gary McNamara said insurance won’t cover the expense. "The same residents and businesses in Windsor and Tecumseh who support these organizations may end up paying for this lawsuit.”
Both mayors are asking organizations that conducted fundraising bingo events to consider opting out.
