SENATE BILL REPORT
SB 5549
As of January 11, 2022
Title: An act relating to amending types of nonprofit organizations qualified to engage in certain bingo gambling activities and changes to the number of occurrences for unlicensed bingo activities.
Brief Description: Amending types of nonprofit organizations qualified to engage in certain bingo gambling activities and changes to the number of occurrences for unlicensed bingo activities.
Sponsors: Senator King; by request of Gambling Commission.
Brief History:
Committee Activity: Labor, Commerce & Tribal Affairs: 1/12/22.
Brief Summary of Bill
  • Increases the number of times per calendar year certain charitable or nonprofit organizations may conduct bingo, raffles, and amusement games without obtaining a license to 12 times.
  • Includes local community centers and nonprofit senior housing organizations in the term bona fide nonprofit organization for the purposes of conducting bingo without a license.
SENATE COMMITTEE ON LABOR, COMMERCE & TRIBAL AFFAIRS
Staff: Susan Jones (786-7404)
Background:

Certain bona fide charitable or nonprofit organizations may conduct bingo, raffles, and amusement games, alone or in any combination, without obtaining a license from the Gambling Commission no more than twice each calendar year and over a period of no more than 12 consecutive days each time.  In addition, the following other requirements apply: 

  • these activities must be held in accordance with all applicable laws and rules;
  • only bona fide organization members, who are not paid for their services, may participate in the management or operation of the activities;
  • gross revenues from all the activities may not exceed $5,000 during any calendar year;
  • all net revenue from these activities must be devoted solely to the charitable and nonprofit purposes;
  • at least five days advance notice of the organization's intent to conduct the activities, the location, and the activities' date(s) must be provided to the local police agency; and
  • the organization must maintain certain records for a period of one year from the date of the event.

 
The bona fide charitable or nonprofit organization must also:

  • have been organized and continuously operating for at least 12 calendar months immediately preceding making application for any license to operate a gambling activity, or the operation of any authorized gambling activity for which no license is required; and
  • demonstrate to the Gambling Commission that it has made significant progress toward the accomplishment of the organization's purposes during the 12 consecutive month period preceding the date of application for a license or license renewal.

 

Bona fide charitable or nonprofit organization generally means:

  • any organization duly existing under the corporations, fraternal societies, granges, and agricultural fair laws, or any duly existing nonprofit corporation organized for charitable, benevolent, eleemosynary, educational, civic, patriotic, political, religious, scientific, social, fraternal, athletic, or agricultural purposes only; or
  • certain corporations whose principal purposes are to furnish volunteer aid to members of the U.S. armed forces and also to carry on a system of national and international relief in mitigating the sufferings caused by pestilence, famine, fire, floods, and other national calamities and to devise and carry on measures for preventing the same.
Summary of Bill:

The number of times certain bona fide charitable or nonprofit organizations may conduct bingo, raffles, and amusement games without obtaining a license from the Gambling Commission is increased to no more than 12 times each calendar year.
 
For the purposes of the statutory provisions allowing certain organizations to conduct bingo without a license, the term bona fide nonprofit organization also includes a county, city, or town community center or a nonprofit senior housing organization.

Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Not requested.
Creates Committee/Commission/Task Force that includes Legislative members: No.
Effective Date: Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.