Hi Charles,

The relationship between the charities and the fire houses in Maryland was ambiguous. In some cases, the VFD was the charity but in others they appeared to act only as hosts for an outside charity group.

It is my understanding that a particular charity could have no more than two "casino nights" per week. There did not appear to be any limits on the number of these events that could be held at a given location. The Ritchie VFD facility hosted several different groups on different nights and some charities, including the CIPAA, had events in multiple locations.

By law, the staff at these events had to be volunteers and could not be paid. There was much controversy concerning tips given to the dealers by customers. Some establishments did not allow tips but most did.

There were allegations that most of the charities were not legitimate and that most of the funds were not used for charitable puproses. This issue led to the closure of all of these events in Prince Georges County about 10 years ago. Most of the charity night events in Maryland were in Prince Georges.

The only currently operating events that I am aware of in in the towns of North Beach and Waldorf, both located outside of Prince Georges County.