It’s also worth thinking about your target audience and what is most likely to encourage people to attend and donate — a local, national, international, or global issue?
You need to make sure you research the appropriate state or local charitable gambling laws and apply them throughout the planning stages, as well as when actioning any requirements before or on the day.
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to gambling-related fundraising, as there are different laws applied to everything from games and raffles, through to bingo and auctions.
And every state has its own rules and laws.
When you’re trying to raise money for a cause or organization, the last thing you want to do is land yourself, the charity or non-profit, donors and attendees in hot water.
Failing to follow the rules can lead to criminal penalties.
Whether you will need gambling and alcohol licenses.
If different types of gambling and games are legal in your state or require multiple/different licenses.
Age restrictions of attendees and participants. Check out our guide on legal US gambling ages by state.
Procedures around handling money and the value of prizes.
Whether proceeds must be kept in any special bank accounts.
The timeframe between fundraising and transferring funds to the charity or non-profit.
Who you can hire to work at the event.
Whether winners or non-profits will be required to pay taxes on any income.
If any records need to be kept.
If staff and organizers require background checks.
Whether there are copyrights on any music you want to play.
The first thing to do is to make sure that you contact the correct people.
An online search for your state’s laws will get the ball rolling, but you’ll also need to contact the local government branch that deals with gaming issues and enquiries.
Best Gambling WebsitesThis could involve contacting more than one person or office, so make sure to cover all bases and cut no corners.
Useful online resources to get you started include:
The National Council of Nonprofits’s website has a helpful page on ‘games of chance’ including whether they’re legal in your state.
They’ve also made a handy map with links to local state associations of non-profits.
An article by NOLO regarding the IRS’s position on taxes.
For UK events, we suggest reading Gov.uk’s guide on legal fundraising.
Refer back to points one and two here.
Refer back to points one and two here.
Once you’ve chosen your charity and started researching state laws, don’t forget to make sure that your chosen cause qualifies as a charitable organization, in relation to gambling events and fundraising.
This research will also help you to clarify the aforementioned IRS tax rules and whether the proceeds will be tax-exempt, or not.
As mentioned earlier, it can be helpful to bring in outside advice from a qualified lawyer or expert if you are unsure.
Step 4: Know The Rules About Serving Alcohol
You may have to apply for a license to serve alcohol, and restrictions could be based around numerous factors, such as:
The legality in your state regarding providing alcoholic beverages at charity events.
Individual state regulations on serving and selling alcohol.
Whether your venue has an alcohol permit and, if so, whether the event still requires one separately.
Whether bartenders need a permit.
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