Illinois Administrative Code › Title 86 - REVENUE › Part 435 - CHARITABLE GAMES ACT › Section 435.100 - Introduction

Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 28, July 12, 2024
This Part implements the Charitable Games Act [230 ILCS 30 ]
				(hereafter referred to as "the Act"), which was adopted by the General Assembly
				to allow not-for-profit charitable, fraternal, labor, educational, veterans,
				local fraternal mutual benefit and religious organizations to raise funds by
				conducting casino-type gaming events. Other forms of licensed gaming, such as
				bingo and raffles, may be played during an event. Licenses for these
				activities, however, must be obtained. Licenses for bingo must be obtained from
				the Department, while raffle licenses must be obtained from the county or
				municipal government responsible for licensing. See the Raffles and Poker Runs
				Act [230 ILCS 15 ]. For persons familiar with the rules governing those
				activities, some of the following charitable games rules are more restrictive
				than the bingo and raffle rules. The reason is that the charitable games events
				authorized by the Act are, to a much greater extent than bingo, subject to the
				abuses often associated with gambling. In turn, these abuses are more likely to
				occur because the amounts of money involved are potentially much greater, and
				the bigger the pot, the greater the danger of involvement by criminal elements.
				In bingo, the statutory prize limit effectively puts a ceiling on the amount of
				money involved at any single bingo session. At charitable games events, if cash
				prizes are used, chips, scrip or play money can be cashed in for currency not
				to exceed $250 per person. No limit is imposed, however, on the total amount of
				non-cash prizes. The General Assembly recognized the increased potential for
				violations at charitable games events, and the Act is consequently more
				restrictive in many ways than the Bingo License and Tax Act [230 ILCS 25 ]. A
				few examples: eligibility for charitable games licenses is more limited; the
				number of events allowed is much smaller; licensees must notify local law
				enforcement authorities of their charitable games events; the Illinois
				Department of Revenue (Department) may summarily suspend charitable games
				licenses before hearings are held; record keeping requirements are more
				detailed; and the criminal penalties for violation of the Act are much more
				severe (a second violation of the Act constitutes a felony). In addition, any
				person who violates any provision of the Act or knowingly violates any rule of
				the Department for the administration of the Act is, in addition to other
				penalties, subject to a civil penalty in the amount of $250 for each separate
				violation. The rules that follow reflect the statutory mandate. Organizations
				applying for licenses must understand that their failure to comply fully with
				this Part and to cooperate with the Department's investigative efforts will
				inevitably mean that long-planned charitable games events will have to be
				postponed, or even cancelled. At the same time, it is the Department's policy
				to do everything possible to assist qualified organizations in obtaining
				licenses and afford these organizations every opportunity to hold a successful
				fundraiser. Applicants and licensees may visit the Office of Bingo and
				Charitable Games at 101 W. Jefferson Street, Springfield, Illinois 62702 or
				contact us with any questions,
By mail: P.O. Box 19480, Springfield, Illinois
				62794-9480
By phone: (217) 558-7425 or (217) 785-3707
By email: rev.bptcg@illinois.gov.
Finally, the Act and this Part are designed to regulate who may
				be licensed, where and when charitable games events may be played, and what
				records must be kept of the funds raised. Licensees who suspect that they are
				being defrauded by players or workers, or that money is being stolen, should
				immediately contact the Department's Bureau of Criminal Investigations at (800)
				243-2811.