Saskatchewan's charity-run bingo halls want an even playing field with other forms of gaming.

Randy Gudmundson of Amalgamated Charities Incorporated says the bingo industry has been on a steady decline since the mid '90's- because it can't keep up with the times. Gudmundson claims gaming regulators won't budge on regulations that hold the bingo industry back from making more money.

He says to stay competitive, they would look into serving alcohol in bingo halls and upgrading halls to electronic gaming systems. Saskatoon's recently closed Lucky Horseshoe Bingo was one of seven halls owned and operated by 230 member charities.

In the last business year, ACI paid out over 17 million dollars to bingo patrons, while over 2.3 million went to the charities.