Only controlled games as defined by California Penal Code section 337j(e)(1) may be played at these fundraising events. The list of approved games can be found on the Bureau of Gambling Controls Standard Game List.
Pursuant to California Penal Code section 330, et seq., slot machines and other games, including roulette, craps, twenty-one, or any banking or percentage game played for anything of value, are prohibited and cannot lawfully be played for charitable fundraising purposes. All suppliers of equipment used in playing the controlled games must register with the Bureau of Gambling Control as well. The current registration fee is $100 and is non-refundable, even if the fundraiser is cancelled. Such an event must be no more than five hours in duration.
Gaming events include charity casino nights, poker nights, or other events that involve gambling. Each eligible organization may register with the California Attorney General’s Bureau of Gambling Control to conduct one “poker night” fundraiser each year, at which participants may play controlled games. Charity Poker Night FundraisersĬalifornia law allows eligible nonprofit organizations that have been in existence for at least three years to hold “charity poker night” fundraisers under specific circumstances. Many nonprofits use games of chance and auctions as fundraising vehicles, without realizing that “legalized games of chance” are regulated activities, and indeed illegal in many states.
