Do you need a license to play bingo at home?

No. Social bingo with no buy-in and no prizes of real value — a family game night, a classroom, a party — is not regulated gambling, so it does not need a license.

Do churches need a license for bingo?

Usually yes, if players pay to play and there are prizes. Most U.S. states require even churches and nonprofits to obtain a charitable-gaming permit before running bingo for money. The exact rules and any small-game exemptions vary by state.

Does a free bingo game need a license?

Generally no. If there is no payment to enter and no prize of significant value, the three elements of regulated gambling (consideration, prize, and chance) are not all present, so a license is typically not required. Always confirm with your local authority.

Guides → Licensing

Do you need a license to run bingo?

A plain-English guide for churches, VFWs, charities, schools, and anyone thinking about starting a bingo night. Short version: it depends on where you are and whether money and prizes are involved.

Quick answer: If people pay to play and can win prizes, bingo is a form of regulated gaming in most places — and you'll usually need a permit, even as a nonprofit or church. If it's a free, just-for-fun game with no real prizes, you almost never need anything.

The three things that make bingo "gambling"

Almost everywhere, a game counts as regulated gambling when all three of these are present:

Consideration — players pay something to take part (a buy-in, a card fee, a “donation” to play).
Prize — winners receive something of value (cash, gift cards, merchandise).
Chance — the outcome is down to luck. Bingo always checks this box.

Bingo is always a game of chance, so the question is really about the other two. Remove the money and the prizes, and it usually stops being regulated gambling.

When you probably don't need a license

Family, classroom, or party bingo with no buy-in and no real prizes.
Free community games — say a library or senior center runs bingo for fun, with donated trinkets or bragging rights.
Icebreakers and team-building at work or events.

If nobody pays to play and nobody wins anything of value, you're almost certainly fine.

When you probably do need a license or permit

This is the big one for most people reading this: charitable and fundraiser bingo — a church, VFW, Legion post, school, or nonprofit running bingo to raise money, with cards for sale and real prizes.

In the United States, bingo is regulated at the state level (and sometimes the county or city level on top of that). Most states carve out a special path for “charitable gaming” that lets qualified nonprofits run bingo — but you generally have to apply for a license or permit first. Depending on the state, the rules can include things like:

The organization must be a registered nonprofit (and sometimes must have existed for a certain number of years).
You register or apply through a state body — often a Charitable Gaming division, the Attorney General's office, a Gaming/Lottery Commission, or the Department of Revenue.
Caps on prize amounts, jackpot limits, or how often you can hold games.
Rules on how the proceeds must be used and reported.
Some states exempt very small games below a dollar threshold; others don't.

The upshot: if you're selling cards and handing out prizes to raise money, assume you need a permit and check before your first game. The penalty for running unlicensed charitable gambling can be real — fines, or losing the right to run games at all.

How to find the rules for your area (5 minutes)

Search “[your state] charitable gaming bingo license.” The first result is usually the official state page.
Look for a “charitable gaming,” “bingo permit,” or “raffles & bingo” section.
Check whether there's a small-game exemption you fit under.
Ask your city or county clerk too — some require a separate local permit.
If you're a church or established nonprofit, your diocese, state association, or national HQ (e.g. VFW national) often has a one-pager on this already.

Outside the U.S.

The idea is similar but the regulator changes. In the UK, bingo and “small society lotteries” fall under the Gambling Commission and your local licensing authority, with light-touch rules for small non-commercial games. In Canada, charitable bingo is licensed provincially. In Australia, it's regulated by each state/territory. Wherever you are, search for your national or regional gambling/charitable-gaming regulator.

One important note: this article is general information to point you in the right direction — it isn't legal advice, and rules change. Always confirm the current requirements with your own state, provincial, or local authority before running a game for money.

Where BingoBoardTV fits

A quick clarification, because people ask: using a digital flashboard like BingoBoardTV doesn't change your licensing situation one way or the other. The license is about the game — money in, prizes out — not about whether your numbers are shown on a mechanical board or a TV. If your game needs a permit with a paper flashboard, it needs the same permit with a digital one.

What BingoBoardTV does do is make the licensed charity night far cheaper and easier to run: your called numbers up on any TV, a built-in random caller so you don't even need a ball machine, free printable cards, and one-click winner verification. Halls switch to it to replace a $1,500+ electronic flashboard for $9.99/month.

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