Connecticut Charitable Gaming License: Rules for Bingo, Raffles, and Bazaars

Charitable gaming can be an effective fundraising tool for Connecticut nonprofits, religious groups, veterans’ organizations, and other community-based entities. But the state treats bingo, raffles, bazaars, and sealed ticket activities as regulated fundraising, not informal events. Each game type has its own permit path, reporting obligations, and compliance rules.

This guide explains how charitable gaming works in Connecticut, who can conduct it, what permits are involved, and how to stay compliant from the first application through the final report. If your group is forming a new nonprofit corporation or managing an existing entity for fundraising, strong recordkeeping and good entity governance matter just as much as the event itself.

What Counts as Charitable Gaming in Connecticut

Connecticut separates charitable gaming into several categories, and each category is governed differently.

Bingo is a numbers-based game where winners are determined by drawn numbers that match a card in a straight line or other designated pattern. Raffles are fundraising arrangements where tickets are sold and winners are chosen by chance after ticket sales. Bazaars are prize-awarding events built around games of chance. Sealed ticket activities are regulated separately by the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection.

The practical lesson is simple: a charity event is not exempt from regulation just because it supports a good cause. The correct permit, the right people running the activity, and the proper reports are still required.

Who Can Run Charitable Gaming

Not every organization can operate charitable games in Connecticut. For bingo, eligible organizations generally include charitable, civic, educational, fraternal, veterans’, or religious organizations, as well as volunteer fire departments and granges. The organization must have been established for at least two years.

Raffles and bazaars are also limited to qualifying nonprofit organizations. In practice, that means your entity formation, bylaws, governing documents, and local registration should already be in order before you plan the event.

Connecticut also recognizes recreational bingo for certain organizations such as senior citizen groups and PTOs/PTAs, but recreational bingo is not fundraising bingo. If your goal is to raise money, you need to follow the charitable gaming permit process.

Who Issues the Permit

In Connecticut, bingo, bazaars, and raffles are primarily handled at the municipal level. Each municipality decides whether these games are permitted in town and is responsible for enforcement and post-event reporting.

For bingo, the chief of police is generally responsible for permitting and enforcement. If a town does not have a chief of police, the municipality’s chief executive officer handles that role.

The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection still has an important role, but mostly for sealed ticket activities and for registering certain equipment dealers and distributors.

Connecticut Bingo Permit Basics

Bingo permits in Connecticut come in different classes, and the right one depends on how often you plan to play.

Class A bingo allows one day each week and is renewed annually.

Class B bingo allows up to ten consecutive days, with no more than two permits per organization each year.

Class C bingo allows one day each month and is renewed annually.

Each permit allows 15 to 40 bingo games per day. When applying, you will usually need the organization’s name, address, event location, venue seating capacity, requested dates, permit class, and any other information the municipality requires.

After the event, you must file the required report with the municipality within 10 days, unless the municipality allows more time. The report typically includes gross receipts, prizes awarded, and net profit.

Bingo Rules You Should Not Miss

Connecticut is strict about who can run the game and how it is operated.

Outside vendors and unaffiliated individuals may not be hired to run bingo events. The organization’s own members or permitted helpers must conduct the game.

Only bingo products approved by the Department of Consumer Protection may be used unless they are owned, borrowed, or otherwise used under the allowed rules. If you are buying or renting equipment, verify that the manufacturer or dealer is properly registered.

Prizes may include cash, merchandise, lottery tickets, and other personal property, but the value limits matter. Violations can result in permit suspension or revocation, and false statements can create criminal exposure.

Online bingo is not legal in Connecticut, including bingo conducted through live social media events. If your fundraising plan assumes a virtual bingo night, choose a different format.

Raffles in Connecticut

Raffles are one of the most common nonprofit fundraisers, but they still require careful planning. Connecticut uses multiple raffle classes based on how long tickets are sold and the aggregate value of prizes offered.

Examples can include traditional raffles, cash prize raffles, duck race raffles, frog race raffles, and similar chance-based fundraising drawings.

When the total aggregate prize value exceeds the state threshold, the municipality must investigate the organization and verify the facts in the application. That means larger raffles need a little more lead time and a lot more documentation.

After a raffle is completed, the organization must file a verified statement with the issuing municipality. The filing typically includes gross receipts, expenses, net profit, and prizes awarded. The deadline is tied to the next succeeding month after the event.

Raffle drawings cannot be conducted exclusively online. You can market the event online, but the drawing itself must comply with Connecticut’s rules.

Bazaar Permits and What They Cover

Bazaar permits are available to qualifying nonprofit organizations that want to conduct a prize-based event built around games of chance. Examples include 50/50 coupon games, teacup raffles, and blower ball games.

Bazaar permits are usually based on the length of the event, and in some cases the fee is calculated on a per-day basis. If the total prizes exceed the state threshold, the municipality must investigate the organization and verify the application facts.

Bazaars also require post-event reporting with gross receipts, expenses, net profit, and prizes awarded. The core compliance pattern is the same across charitable gaming categories: document the event, keep the records, and report on time.

A few additional rules are easy to overlook. Members and volunteers may not be paid for time and effort to promote or operate the bazaar or raffle. Individuals must be 18 or older to promote, conduct, or operate the event, and no one under 16 may sell or promote raffle tickets. Also, alcohol may not be given away as a prize.

Sealed Ticket Activities

Sealed ticket activities are not the same as bingo, raffles, or bazaars. The Commissioner of Consumer Protection issues permits for these activities, and the Department of Consumer Protection also registers manufacturers, distributors, and related equipment dealers.

If your organization wants to use sealed ticket games, start with the state agency instead of the municipality. Filing in the wrong place can delay your event or force you to restart the process.

Documents and Recordkeeping

The paperwork matters as much as the event itself. Before you host a charitable gaming fundraiser in Connecticut, make sure you have the following ready:

• Your organization’s legal name, address, and contact information
• The event location and venue details
• The correct permit class for the activity
• Any required municipal identification number or local registration
• Vendor information for approved equipment, if applicable
• A recordkeeping system for receipts, payouts, expenses, and prizes
• A filing calendar so you do not miss the post-event deadline

For bingo, accurate records of receipts and disbursements must be kept and made available for inspection by the municipal official. For raffles and bazaars, the verified statement after the event is not optional.

A Practical Compliance Checklist

Before you advertise a charitable gaming event in Connecticut, confirm these items:

• Your organization is eligible under Connecticut law
• Your governing documents and internal records are current
• You have identified the correct permit type
• You have applied through the proper municipality or state office
• You are using approved equipment and registered dealers where required
• You understand prize limits and volunteer rules
• You have a system for receipts, disbursements, and post-event reporting
• You know the exact filing deadline after the event
• You are not planning prohibited online play or an unlawful online drawing

This checklist is simple, but it catches the most common mistakes. Most compliance problems happen when an organization starts marketing the event before the paperwork is in place or assumes the same rule applies to every game type.

Common Mistakes That Create Risk

A few issues appear repeatedly:

• Using volunteers who are too young or otherwise ineligible
• Hiring outside vendors to run the bingo event
• Confusing recreational bingo with charitable fundraising bingo
• Missing the post-event reporting deadline
• Using unapproved equipment or an unregistered dealer
• Assuming an online fundraiser is automatically compliant because the audience is local
• Forgetting that larger prize pools can trigger additional municipal review

If you are unsure whether a planned activity fits Connecticut’s charitable gaming rules, pause and review the permit path first. It is much easier to adjust the plan before the event than to fix a violation afterward.

How Zenind Can Help

Charitable gaming works best when the organization behind it is properly formed and maintained. For groups launching a nonprofit corporation, subsidiary, or other legal entity in the United States, Zenind can help with formation support, registered agent service, and ongoing compliance organization.

That matters because charitable gaming is not just an event issue. It is also an entity management issue. Clean formation records, reliable service of process, and organized compliance tracking make it easier to keep fundraising operations on track.

Final Takeaway

Connecticut charitable gaming is possible, but it is not informal. The state uses a mix of municipal permitting and state-level regulation depending on the game. If you are running bingo, a raffle, a bazaar, or a sealed ticket activity, start with the correct authority, confirm your organization’s eligibility, and build your reporting process before the event begins.

For nonprofits and community groups, the safest path is straightforward: choose the right permit, keep the records, report on time, and treat compliance as part of the fundraiser itself.