Bingo is a community gaming activity to benefit a community or charitable organisation that has been declared by the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission (VGCCC).
Bingo must not be conducted online.
A person can conduct a session of bingo if:
- no fee is charged (directly or indirectly) to participate
- the total of receipts from the bingo session is distributed as prizes
- it is not advertised to, or open, to the general public
- it is not provided for players' entertainment
- it is not intended to provide commercial benefit to the person conducting the session, or to any other person.
A bingo session is when a maximum of 30 bingo games is played within an 8-hour period. The aim of the game can vary depending on the version being played.
For example:
- any 1 or 2 lines
- any line
- full house.
All the types or versions of bingo played must be approved by the VGCCC.
Conducting bingo sessions for profit
Only organisations declared as a community or charitable organisation by the VGCCC can:
- conduct bingo sessions for profit, or
- have bingo sessions conducted by a licensed bingo centre operator at a licensed bingo centre.
The community or charitable organisation must provide us with a copy of their agreement with a bingo centre operator as soon as it is signed.
Under the Gambling Regulation Act 2003(opens in a new window) (the Act), a person can't operate a bingo centre unless they hold a Bingo centre operator’s licence.
Where bingo can be played
Declared organisations can run bingo in local halls or club rooms. Bingo can also be played in licensed bingo centres.
View a list of current approved bingo centres.
Authorised bingo sessions for profit
If your organisation is already declared, email [email protected] to request a copy of a Notification of intention to conduct bingo sessions form.
The form must be lodged at least 7 days before the first session of bingo is scheduled. This applies even if you're running the sessions, or a bingo centre operator is running them on your organisation's behalf.
You will receive a Notice of Authorised Bingo when your application is approved. This must be displayed in a prominent place at the venue.
It's a requirement under the Act that declared organisations holding bingo sessions must appoint a nominee. The nominee is responsible for running the bingo sessions and is liable under the Act. Complete the Request for approval as a nominee of a bingo centre operator.
Declared as a community or charitable organisation
To check if your organisation is declared, see our up-to-date database.
If your organisation is required to be declared as a community or charitable organisation, please view the application for a declared community or charitable organisation(opens in a new window) page.
Who can play bingo?
It is illegal for a person under the age of 18 years to play bingo or any gambling product.
Changes to bingo notice information
You must notify us about the following changes to your bingo sessions:
- the address of premises where bingo sessions are held
- the dates, or days of the week, they're held
- the session start and finish times
- the frequency of sessions, and number of games in each
- the account where sessions' proceeds are deposited, and the financial institution holding this account
- stopping any bingo sessions
- the resignation or nomination of responsible person/nominee.
You must notify us within seven days of the change occurring. There is no fee involved.
You will also need to lodge an application to vary bingo rules if you want to vary any of the existing rules of bingo(opens in a new window). For a copy of this form please email [email protected](opens in a new window)
For more information about bingo sessions please see our bingo sessions by declared organisations(opens in a new window) page.
Agreement with a bingo centre operator
Authorised organisations can enter into an agreement with a licensed bingo centre operator, to conduct bingo sessions on their behalf.
The agreement is a commercial contract between the organisation, and the operator.
The community or charitable organisation must provide a copy of their agreement to us. See the agreement for the conduct of bingo form.
The operator may charge a community or charitable organisation to run bingo sessions. There are restrictions on these charges to ensure maximum proceeds are directed to community benefit. These restrictions include:
- 2% of total ticket sales as a fee to run bingo; and
- recovery of expenses up to a set limit
- 60% max of total proceeds or
- 60% of remaining total proceeds after deducting the jackpot pool amount
A bingo centre operator should NOT be paid a fee for running bingo if the community or charitable organisation is required to provide any assistance in:
- the conduct of a bingo session, or
- the operation of the bingo centre.
Running sheets
The supervisor must keep a running sheet that records the following information for each bingo game:
- the number of tickets sold
- the serial numbers of tickets sold
- the total number of tickets available
- the number of charges made for a visually-impaired person to enter the game
- the gross receipts
- the value of prizes paid, and
- the gross profit.
*Note: a visually-impaired person who brings approved braille ticket(s) to a bingo session will be charged the same price for each game(s) in that session (as if they had purchased tickets from that location).
A running sheet must be kept with the following information for each bingo session:
- the expenses paid
- the opening, and closing, balance of any jackpot pool
- the date the jackpot pool was carried forward
- the book number of any unsold book between:
- the lowest book number for the session, and
- the highest book number for the session (wasted book numbers).
A new bingo game cannot start until the running sheet for the previous game is complete. Running sheets must be kept for 3 years after games are recorded.
Unsold tickets
A community or charitable organisation must keep unsold tickets for 6 months after the annual return date.
Banking requirements
Declared organisations need to keep a single account that's approved by the VGCCC. This must be an:
- authorised
- deposit-taking institution, and
- based in Victoria for all bingo-related transactions.
Organisations must pay the total proceeds from a session into the approved account within:
- 3 days after the day the sessions are played (if the session was conducted by a bingo centre operator), or
- any other period that we notify in writing to the nominee.
Records of this account must be kept for 3 years after transactions are completed. They must be made available to the VGCCC on request.
*Note: total proceeds are less any jackpot pool amount kept for prize distribution money, in a later session for a jackpot pool sequence.
Annual return
A community or charitable organisation must submit an annual return to the VGCCC and include:
- gross receipts
- total expenses (including catering and bingo centre operator fees)
- serial numbers of any unsold tickets
- prizes paid
- the net proceeds of bingo
- the balance of each jackpot pool at the end of that month (if any).
The annual return is for the period of 1 July to 30 June and must be completed by 1 October each year.
Note: if the bingo sessions are conducted by a bingo centre operator, the returns must be lodged by the bingo centre operator.
Requirements for prizes
The amount of prizes distributed in a bingo game must be:
- no less than 20% of the total receipts for the game
- in any period of 7 consecutive days:
- no less than 50%, and
- no more than 90% of the total of gross receipts for all games/sessions conducted in that period.
*Note: gross receipts mean the total amount paid for tickets, by players in that game or session.
All prize money won in a game must be paid at the end of the game in cash, where the prize is:
- less than $1000, or
- if the winner requests it, or
- if the prize is $1000 or more, paid by cheque not payable in cash.
Large prizes
If you plan to conduct a session at which the prize value will (or is expected to) exceed $20,000, you must advise the VGCCC.
This can be done by submitting a notification of bingo prizes in excess of $20,000 form at least 3 business days beforehand. For a copy of this form please email [email protected](opens in a new window).
Paying of prizes
A prize of $1,000 or more must be paid by cheque or EFTPOS. Payments MUST NOT be paid by cash.
Pooling schemes
A pooling scheme is an arrangement where a person or organisation:
- gets a benefit from the proceeds of bingo games sessions, and
- that person does not hold a minor gaming permit for that session.
To get a copy of the pooling scheme rules, contact us.
False or misleading information
A person must not give false or misleading information when:
• notifying the VGCCC of an organisation’s intention to conduct bingo
• complying with a notice by a gambling inspector, or
• providing information to the VGCCC.
Volunteers at bingo centres
A person can perform volunteer duties in a bingo centre if they:
- do so within any period of 7 days
- act in good faith for only one declared organisation.
The declared community or charitable organisation must notify us when these duties begin. This must happen at least 7 days before the person begins performing them.
The declared community or charitable organisation must notify the VGCCC when these volunteer duties stop. This must happen within 28 days after the person stops performing them.
Rules for the caller and supervisor
A person must be appointed as a:
- caller, and another as a
- supervisor
for each bingo game. Neither can participate as players.
Before the start of the first bingo game a caller must announce:
- which type of bingo and version will be played
- that it's the supervisor's duty to settle disputes about bingo play
- that the callback of the numbers on the tickets can be done by the:
- supervisor, or
- another person in the presence of an independent player(s).
The caller must select numbers:
- using a random number generator, or
- from a container that holds and announces each selected number.
If numbers are selected from a container as specified in the Act, they must hand the ball to the supervisor.
The supervisor must:
- present each selected number and display it clearly to all players until the end of the game
- check the number has been correctly announced and place it on a rack clearly visible to all players until the end of the game
- settle bingo rules' disputes in any session they're supervising.
The supervisor must (or select someone to) decide the winner of the bingo game by:
- collecting the winning ticket from players declaring they've won
- confirming the ticket's serial number/ticket book number (if any)
- confirming the ticket was sold for play in the relevant game
- verifying the ticket numbers against the numbers called, in the presence of an independent player(s).
If the caller or supervisor finds an error in the above, an announcement correcting the error must be made immediately.
Jackpots
A portion of the total receipts from one or more games in a session, can be held in a jackpot pool. This is for the distribution as prize money:
- in a later game in that session, or
- in a game in a later session, in a rolling jackpot sequence.
*Note: where more than one jackpot pool is maintained at once, only one of them can be in operation in a session.
Before the first game in a jackpot session begins, the caller must announce:
- the game(s) where the jackpot pool will be distributed
- the method of distribution
- if the jackpot is part of a rolling jackpot
- the session date from which the jackpot pool is carried forward
- the balance carried forward from that session.
After the last game in a session of rolling jackpot sequence games, the caller must announce:
- the closing balance of the jackpot pool, and
- the time, date, and place of the next session in the sequence.
Bingo centre operators
- A licensed bingo centre operator can run bingo sessions on behalf of a declared community or charitable organisation. They may charge a fee to run bingo and recover their expenses up to a set limit.
Rules include:
- 2% of total ticket sales as a fee to run bingo; and
- recovery of expenses up to a set limit
- 60% max of total proceeds. or
- 60% of remaining total proceeds after deducting the jackpot pool amount.
A person cannot operate a bingo centre unless they hold a bingo centre operator's licence.
Applying for a Bingo operator's licence
For information about applying for a bingo centre operator's licence, see the bingo centre operator's(opens in a new window) page.
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