This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2006, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The cloistered nuns at the Carmel of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Holladay may sell beer at their upcoming fundraising fair.
But the Utah Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission said no to bingo games - unless the nuns don't charge to play. And that stance could pose a problem for the order, whose mid-September Carmelite Fair generates enough revenue to cover most of the nuns' annual living expenses. And some of that money comes from renting low-cost bingo cards.
The bingo issue came up Friday after an Alcoholic Beverage Control staff member spotted a bingo booth on a site plan submitted by the nuns in their application to sell beer.
Retired FBI agent Lou Bertram, who represented the nuns, had told the staff member that people would pay for the bingo games. Donated prizes would be awarded to winners. After being told that was illegal, the nuns agreed to not charge, wanting to obey Utah's anti-gambling laws.
Liquor staff members then directed Bertram to write a letter to the commission, assuring the agency the nuns would keep their word.
"There might be a few donation jars around that anyone can contribute to," said Bertram, who has volunteered to run the fair's beer wagon. "But we won't be charging anything for bingo."
Utah's anti-gambling laws have zero tolerance for games of chance that charge participants and reward winners with cash or prizes. Unlike New York and Pennsylvania, which also have anti-gambling laws, Utah has no bingo exemptions for nonprofit organizations.
"Groups sell raffle tickets, they have drawings and, yes, they play bingo," said Holladay City Attorney Craig Hall. "This has been in the newspapers enough that people should know, but they don't seem to."
Each year, the fair attracts 4,500 to 5,000 people and provides 80 percent of the nuns' annual expenses, paying for their utilities and medical bills, repairs and other costs.
The sisters get instructions from the Sacred Congregation of Religious in Rome, but they receive no money from the Vatican or the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City.
Carmelite Fair
* Sept. 17, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., at 5714 S. Holladay Blvd. Admission is free. Also features food, kids' games and live entertainment.