Shown L to R: Minnie Byrd, Bingo Clerk with the Sheriff’s office, Luther Winn CEO Greenetrack, Greene Co. Sheriff Jonathan Benison, Greenetrack employees Juanita Polk, Lucondrea Samuel, Altheria Wilder, Reginald Spencer and Shelia Davis.

On Thursday, December 1, 2011, Greenetrack CEO Luther “Nat” Winn, surrounded by employees, presented the monthly bingo distributions to Greene County Sheriff Jonathan Benison.

 The November distributions from Greenetrack Bingo awarded  $10,441.67 to the Greene County Sheriff’s Department; $28,341.67 to the Greene County Commission; $5,966.67  to the City of Eutaw;  $2,983.33 to the City of Boligee;  $2,983.33 to the City of Forkland;  $2,983.33 to the City of Union, making a total of $53,700 distributed.

The distributions earmarked for the official political entities in the county are based on a formula devised by Sheriff Benison.

The formula names the recipients and the assessment per machine per month allocated to each from bingo receipts. 

Benison’s Bingo Rules mandate that all licensed bingo entities in Greene County are obligated to make these monthly distributions.

According to Benison’s Bingo Rules and Regulations, the Greene County Commission is designated to receive $95 per bingo machine per month; the Sheriff’s office will receive $35 per machine per month; the City of Eutaw will receive $20 per machine per month and the other 3 towns will receive $10 per machine per month.

The Sheriff’s Bingo Rules and Regulations indicate that the charities authorized to operate bingo in Greene County must make their ending month distributions by the first day of the following month.

On December 1, as Greenetrack complied with these rules, the Sheriff indicated he had not heard from the Green Bingo group, another entity licensed, reportedly through a non-profit organization, to conduct bingo in Greene County. “I will contact the newspapers for a photo and to witness the distribution from Green Bingo as soon as I hear from them,” stated Sheriff Benison, as he responded to questions from the local media.

 As of press time, the Democrat has not been successful in reaching Sheriff Benison to determine if any other monthly bingo distribution were forwarded to the Sheriff’s office.

To date, The Sheriff’s Bingo Rules and Regulations do not designate any resources for the Greene County Board of Education.