Over the past month+, the Lafayette Band Association (LBA) has been working to renew four separate leases that allow us to operate Bingo and electronic slots at Lex Go Bingo. The facility is run by DHT Gaming, while the Lucky Dawgs kitchen is operated by an independent contractor hired by DHT.

For the past two years, LBA has successfully negotiated mutually beneficial lease terms with DHT for Bingo on Thursdays, and trial periods for electronic slots and Friday Bingo. Our current leases are now up for renewal—though they expire on different dates.

At this time, LBA has not been able to reach an agreement with DHT Gaming on rent levels, and we have been forced to indefinitely suspend operation of electronic slots. For now, our Bingo games are NOT affected.

LBA is a 501(c)(3) charity with an active charitable gaming license. All proceeds from our gaming activities directly support the 230+ students of the Lafayette High School Pride of the Bluegrass Marching Band. These funds help ensure that no student is ever turned away due to financial hardship.

Importantly, state law requires that a charitable organization retain a minimum percentage of net revenue from gaming. In other words, gaming activities must meaningfully benefit the charity—not primarily serve as revenue generation for for-profit landlords or vendors. This requirement prevents us from agreeing to unreasonable rent or supplier costs.

After a thorough review of more than two years of our most recent financial data, LBA has concluded that accepting DHT Gaming’s proposed rent increases would jeopardize our compliance with these legal requirements. As our lease for electronic slots has expired without renewal, we must suspend operation of the slot machines.

We remain in ongoing negotiations with DHT Gaming and are hopeful for a resolution. We’ll keep you updated with any new developments.