Professional Licensing and Regulatory Affairs LOTTERY LICENSING ACT & REGULATIONS OPERATING GUIDELINES These operating guidelines govern licences issued to groups who are individually licensed to conduct bingos. Bingo licensees are responsible for becoming familiar with legislation and the operating guidelines. COMPLYING WITH THE LICENCE 1. Bingo Licensees shall: a) Conduct only the approved bingo event; b) Follow the approved licence procedure for the bingo; and c) Use the approved financial/inventory control system. d) Submit financial reports as required. All financial documents, unsold tickets, ticket stubs, receipts and all other records must be retained for at least one year from the expiration of the licence. 2. Bingo shall be operated according to: a) The approved licence (note: this may include an amended licence that has been approved). b) The approved bingo event, including the house rules and rules of play. c) The terms and conditions, as stated in legislation. d) The general operating guidelines as required by the Registrar. 3. Operation of a bingo event is the sole responsibility of the licensee; it cannot be delegated or transferred. The organization may choose to use non-members to work as non-paid volunteers. Paragraph 3 is intended to allow licensees more flexibility in raising funds to support their approved charitable objectives. It is not intended to provide opportunities for groups who are not licensed to work a bingo event in return for a donation. Bingo workers may not be paid for their services. 4. Inspectors shall be permitted access to all areas of the bingo premises. They may examine licensee and or/charitable organization documents, equipment, and video tapes for the operation of the bingo at their discretion; and make copies if necessary. 5. Bingo equipment must be in good working order and is subject to inspection and approval by the Registrar. 6. Any suspected cheating or other problems should be reported (in writing) as soon as possible to the organization and to the Registrar of Lotteries. 7. Licence amendments, including use of gaming proceeds shall be submitted by the executive of the charitable organization in writing for the Registrar s approval. 8. All municipal, territorial and federal laws shall be obeyed. 9. The bingo licence, bingo event, house rules and rules of play shall be prominently displayed at the bingo premises. A copy of the licence must be shown for examination by anyone who asks to see it and has bought or wants to buy a ticket. 10. Bingo shall not be played in any room where liquor is sold or consumed. 11. The licensee shall submit a new application, or request for amendments to a licence at least two weeks in advance of the proposed start date of the bingo. If the licensee is not in good standing and there are outstanding financial reports that require auditing, the application will not be processed until after the deficiency has been corrected. The BINGO Operating Guidelines Page 1
processing time will then be up to two weeks after the deficiency is corrected. CONDUCT OF BINGO 1. Bingo Card Sales a) Only cash or debit card may be accepted for admissions and card sales. b) Cashing cheques or offering credit is prohibited. d) Media bingo packages must not be sold outside Yukon. No prize shall be issued to a person playing the game outside Yukon. e) The designated member in charge of the bingo event shall be responsible for all bingo card sales and shall maintain a serial number record showing the distribution of cards to each location (pertains to media bingo only), cash received and unsold or returned bingo cards. This record shall contain sufficient detail to account for all bingo cards and cash and to reconcile totals at the end of each event. 1. Prizes a) All prizes in the approved bingo event shall be awarded. b) If non-cash prizes are awarded: The licensee shall award all prizes as set out in the licence. When completing the financial reports, the actual prize costs shall be recorded with prizes. For games with separate card sales, prize payouts shall be set out in the licence with the exception of progressive or accumulating jackpots. c) No changes may be made to the games or prize amounts after the licence is issued. 2. Bingo Event a) Only the approved bingo shall be conducted at the bingo event. This includes price of all cards, start/finish time, prize structure for all games, give-aways/promotions, rules of play and house rules. b) No bingo event shall start before the time specified in the licence or end later than the time specified in the licence. c) Pre-selling of tickets prior to the start of the time of the event is prohibited. Media bingo is an exception. 3. Give-aways/Promotions/Advertising Give-aways: Any item given to players in the hall, other than by means of a bingo game, is considered a give-away. This could include door prizes, merchandise or food items. The actual cost of all items are recorded under expenses on financial reports; Advertisements shall clearly state the licence number. 4. BINGO VERIFICATION UNIT a) The unit shall be an approved unit and owned by the licensee. b) Unit shall only be used with an existing TV monitoring system. Each game using the unit shall be video/audio recorded. A copy of the video shall be kept for 14 days after the event. c) The licensee shall ensure that the unit is in proper working condition. The check will compare the verifier unit to the master book to confirm that the unit s manufacturer s seals have not been tampered with and that the wiring harness is secure. 11/03/2014 2 P a g e
d) Before the start of the bingo, the unit shall be checked by a volunteer bingo worker and the Caller to ensure it is working properly. e) The Caller shall operate the unit according to these general provisions and describe the verification procedures that will be used for the event. 5. FINANCIAL a) Only the expenses necessary for running the bingo can be deducted from the revenue of the bingo. b) At least 25% of the balance left after subtracting the prizes and expenses from the revenue must be spent on charitable or religious purposes as set out in the licence. c) The following expenses can be paid: Equipment or hall rental. Rent expenses may include: Bingo equipment Furnishings Janitorial services Utilities and insurance Purchase of bingo cards/paper. Advertising to describe the bingo. Advertising is limited to newspapers, radio, television, bill boards, signs, posters, flyers and internet. Cost of the charitable organization s yearly charitable gaming audit for licensed gaming events (showing income and expenses). 6. Proceeds of revenue over $5,000 per year a) All revenue, less cash prize costs, shall be deposited into the licensee s approved bank account. All payments must be made from this account by cheque. b) Proceeds shall only be spent on uses approved by the Registrar. Proceeds shall be left in the bingo account until spent on approved uses. If not required right away: Funds may be put into a separate interest-bearing account, or be used to purchase deposit certificates. The financial institution, account or deposit number, and total value of the transfer, shall be identified on financial reports. All interest earned becomes part of gaming revenue. When needed, proceeds shall be transferred back to the bingo account; and funds must be paid out only be cheque. Balance of all gaming proceeds to be provided to the Registrar s office every six months until the proceeds have been spent. (This includes investments and interest.) 7. FINANCIAL RECORDS & REPORTS a) The licensee shall maintain the approved financial/inventory control system. b) All transactions shall be recorded on control sheets. The system shall be organized as follows: Handling of cash at event level All transfers of cash among staff shall be witnessed, verified, recorded and signed for. Actual cash counts shall be recorded. Inventory records for all supplies shall be kept. c) The licensee shall allow inspectors designated by the licensing authority free access to all books and records related to the conduct of the bingo. Bingo expenses a) All bingo expenses shall be recorded. b) All bingos with gross proceeds over $5,000 shall be paid out by cheque. c) All original control forms are the licensee s property (includes cash register tapes). d) The licensee shall keep forms for their financial reports. 11/03/2014 3 P a g e
e) When bingo events are video/audio recorded, tapes from each event shall be kept for least fourteen (14) days after the event. f) The report on the running of the bingo must be submitted in these cases: If the licence is for a single bingo, within 30 days of the expiration of the licence. If the licence is for several bingos, interim reports within 30 days of the expiration of each three-month period and a final report within 30 days of the expiration of the licence. If the group has a current licence, their ending bank balance (proceeds remaining) from the previous licence becomes part of the new financial report. Whenever the Registrar requests a report while conducting an investigation. All financial documents and all other records in connection with the lottery must be retained within the Yukon for a least one year after the licence expires and must be made available for inspection by the Registrar. GAMING EVENTS WITH GROSS SALES EXCEEDING $10,000.00 a) Any charitable organization that conducts events with gross sales of more than $10,000 has the option to: Submit a financial report accompanied by supporting documents such as invoices, bank statements or control sheets (if applicable). Submit a financial report prepared by a professional accountant of the organization s income and expenses from all licensed events. This report must reflect the approved use of proceeds as set out in each licence for that reporting year. 10. VOLUNTEERS AND MEMBERS a) Volunteers and members of the licensee shall not be paid. This includes, but is not limited to: Payment for working gaming events; Providing services to the bingo licensee Receiving money, goods, or services for personal use, from individuals that provide premises, services, equipment, or supplies to events sponsored by that volunteer s group. b) This does not prevent a licence holder from having the lottery conducted or tickets sold by employees whose principal duties consists of other work for the licence holder. c) No member of the organization s executive and/or board of directors shall have a financial interest in a company or be employed by a company that provides: The hall, Services, Equipment or Supplies. d) Bingo Organization volunteers shall not play bingo while they work. OR 11/03/2014 4 P a g e
POSITION DEFINITIONS Bingo Event: Bingo which includes several bingo games over a period of time, most often about two hours. Media Bingo: A lottery scheme played using mass media communication. This includes but is not limited to: radio, newspaper, magazine and television. A prize(s) is awarded by selling media bingo product(s) to players, then randomly calling numbers that may appear on the media bingo product. To win, players complete a pre-determined pattern on the media bingo product using the least amount of numbers called. Winner(s) must also meet all criteria stated in the house rules. Bingo Chairperson is responsible for the bingo operation. This includes: supervising all staff, assigning duties to volunteer staff, secure handling of cash and complying with financial/inventory controls. The Bingo Chairperson notifies the Registrar of any cheating or other problems. Paymaster supervises the awarding of prizes. Bonanza Controller supervises card sales for games with separate (bonanzas) and calculates the prize payouts. Seller/Checker sells cards to players, accounts for cash from sales, exchanges regular hard cards, verifies winning cards, and provides proper inventory and ensures financial controls are in place. Caller conducts the approved bingo event and is responsible to the bingo chairperson. CONTACTING THE REGULATOR Written communication may be addressed to: The Registrar Professional Licensing and Regulatory Affairs P.O. Box 2703, Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 2C6 Phone: 867-667-5111 or 1-800-661-0408 11/03/2014 5 P a g e