Oops! We just bought a Bingo set for the school off of eBay and plan on using it next week, in conjunction with Family Fun and Games Night. It never occurred to me that it wouldn't be "legal". We are not charging any admission or anything so it shouldn't be a problem.
I think the kids will love it.
SHC
In my state, Michigan, bingo is considered gaming. If you do bingo, you need to apply for a license. Problem is, the license stipulates that no one under age 18 can participate. On the surface, that pretty much eliminated any chance for a bingo night at an elementary school. Undaunted, I called the state gaming office directly and spoke with a authority who finally aquiesed. As long as don't charge any admission fee (not for bingo, not for food, not for anything), then it's not considered gaming and the kids can play.
All that said, if your parents aren't comfortable with the event, it's probably not worth pursuing. Perception is reality. Maybe better to have a game night with games other than bingo.
Hey Monkey Girl--when we got our 501c3 status, we had to register with the California Attorney General's office (Registry of Charitable Trusts). While we are allowed to conduct raffles, we are not allowed to have Bingo games. We have to pay a $25 registration fee a year and submit a raffle report for each raffle. I don't know why we can't have Bingo games, but the law says we can't! I don't know if this applies to other states.
Did anyone that has done the Family Bing Night had problems with the legal side of things. I live in the BIBLE BELT and we have several families that would have a fit about this as well. Any suggestions??
Charlene This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
We had our first Family Night Bingo last January and plan on another next January. The kids loved it (parents too). We did it that every child got a prize. We had prizes left over from our fundraiser plus picked up little stuff. I also made certificates for free snacks at snack time and cleared it with the cafeteria ahead of time to bill us. As children won a bingo game, they got a ticket. We also gave everyone a ticket just to start out and gave tickets out through the night for different things. We played loser bingo too at different times during the night. Everyone stands up and you call a letter/number. Everyone who has it sits down, call another letter/number and keep going until only one person is standing. The kids love it and it's a good break and stretch time. You can also just call out a letter/number at different times and give everyone who has it a ticket.At the end the kids counted their tickets and got in line greatest to least. They then gave us their tickets and picked a prize. We had everyone bring a snack and didn't charge admission. Having games around while you are doing crafts is a good idea in case someone finishes early. I'd save the Bingo for it's own special night though, however you decide to do it. You can easily play Bingo for a couple of hours with breaks, snacks, etc and it was such an easy night to do-super easy. Good Luck!
We have our first Family Arts/Crafts & Game Night in Jan. I was thinking of having board games set up around as well as art project. I was also considering holding a bingo during that night. Like a candy bar bingo. It "costs" 1 candy bar to play and we give away candy bars for prizes. I need details on how those of you that have hosted these did them.
Thanks so much,
Holly This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
