(COLUMBUS, Ohio) – Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine today announced an agreement with the board of the Union Club Inc. and the Union Club of Springfield that replaces the board, and temporarily suspends bingo activity, among other stipulations, as a result of violations of Ohio law.
"This appears to be a case where the board's failures were not intentional. However, we expect state law to be followed," said Attorney General DeWine.
An investigation by the Charitable Law section of the Attorney General's Office found that the Union Club was paying its bingo workers and electronic gaming machines were present in its facility, violations of Ohio's charitable gaming laws. The machines were determined to be slot machines since they paid out in cash.
It was also determined that there were examples that the board: did not keep minutes involving large expenditures, was not following by-laws of the organization, refused to share financial information with some members, paid employees with cash, and refused to file tax forms for employees.
Terms of the Assurance of Discontinuance include:
- The Union Club and the Union Club of Springfield will create two separate governing boards
- Elections for a new board for the Union Club and the Union Club of Springfield will be on Feb. 19
- The Union Club Inc. and the Union Club of Springfield will send all their newly elected officers and trustees to board governance training and bingo school
- No current or former board members shall be eligible to serve on either charitable organization's board
- The Union Club Inc. and the Union Club of Springfield will remove all electronic gaming machines from the premises
- The Union Club Inc. will suspend bingo activity Feb. 15-24
- The Union Club Inc. and the Union Club of Springfield will not pay employees in cash and will submit all necessary tax forms
- Within 90 days of this agreement, the organizations will choose an accounting firm, previously not used by either group, to conduct an independent audit
For additional information about a charity or to file a complaint about a questionable organization, call the Attorney General's Office at 800-282-0515 or file a complaint online at https://coin.ag.state.oh.us.
Assurance of Discontinuance
Union Club (PDF)
Media Contacts:
Dan Tierney: 614-466-3840
Mark Moretti: 614-466-3840