Gaming activities (bingo, poker, etc.) — guidelines

To raise funds, some chapter service teams may want to conduct some sort of gaming activity, which includes, but is not limited to, bingo, poker tournaments and poker runs. In these cases, it’s important for chapters to realize that in most states gaming activities are illegal. Therefore, chapters and their service teams are encouraged not to sponsor or cohost such activities, unless the state where the activity is being held allows the gaming activity when being done for charitable purposes.

What is a gaming activity?
There are three components that must be present for an activity to be considered gaming:

• An element of chance
• A prize being awarded
• Consideration, which means that a person gives something in return for the opportunity to win the prize (i.e., they pay money to play)

All three components must be present for it to be a gaming activity. If one or more of the three components is not part of the proposed activity, it is not considered a gaming activity.

For example, if a youth group plays bingo with residents at a nursing home and there is not a fee for playing, there is no consideration and it's not considered gaming.

Important: If a license is required to conduct the gaming activity, such as raffles or bingo, the chapter and service team should not sponsor, cohost or support the portion of the activity that requires a license because the chapter does not hold the license. See the Raffles – Guidelines page in CHIP for complete details about raffles.

Additional Topics
Raffles – guidelines

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