Florida Bingo Laws: Operators, Prize Limits, and Penalties

Florida bingo laws restrict the game to charitable, nonprofit, and veterans’ organizations that hold federal tax-exempt status and have operated for at least three years. Section 849.0931 of the Florida Statutes caps regular game prizes at $50, jackpots at $250, and sessions at two per week. A willful violation is a first-degree misdemeanor on the first offense and a third-degree felony on any repeat.¹

Who Can Legally Run Bingo

The statute limits bingo to organizations that meet three conditions. The group must qualify for federal tax exemption under Section 501(c) or Section 528 of the Internal Revenue Code. It must be engaged in charitable, civic, community, religious, scholastic, or similar work. And it must have been in existence and actively operating for at least three years.¹

The three-year requirement catches newer groups off guard. Forming a nonprofit and receiving a 501(c) determination letter is not enough on its own; the organization needs a real operating history before it can host games.

Everyone working the session must be a bona fide member of the sponsoring organization, a resident of the community where the organization is located, and completely uncompensated. The group must designate up to three members to oversee each session, and at least one of them has to be present the whole time. A caller cannot also play in the game being called.¹

One organization also cannot sponsor games that a different organization actually operates. The sponsoring group must control every part of the operation, including the proceeds. That closes off arrangements where a for-profit operator effectively runs bingo behind a nonprofit’s name.

Where Games Can Be Held

Bingo has to take place on specific types of property. The usual options are premises the organization owns or premises it leases for at least one year. When space is leased, the rent cannot be tied to a percentage of bingo proceeds, and it cannot exceed what similar properties in the area charge.²

Games may also be held on city or county property when the local governing body has passed an ordinance or resolution authorizing that use. Condominium associations, homeowners’ associations, and mobile home park residents can host games on their common property under a separate set of conditions in the same statute.

Session and Prize Limits

Florida caps bingo at two sessions per week, and no session may run longer than five hours.¹

The prize rules are strict:

Regular game prizes are capped at $50 per game.
Jackpots cannot exceed $250 in cash or equivalent.
No more than three jackpots may be awarded per session, and no more than three per day of play.
Instant bingo (pull-tab) prizes are limited to the amounts printed on the ticket or shown on the game flare.

The math matters. The maximum jackpot payout in a single session is $750, and every other game is bound by the $50 cap. Offering a bigger prize to draw a bigger crowd is a criminal violation, not a business decision.²

All bingo equipment and supplies, including cards and instant bingo tickets, must come from licensed distributors. Each instant bingo deal is limited to 4,000 tickets, and the predetermined minimum payout for a deal must be at least 65 percent of total receipts from that deal.²

Where the Money Has to Go

Every dollar of net proceeds must go toward the organization’s charitable, civic, community, religious, scholastic, or similar mission. The statute leaves no wiggle room: net proceeds cannot be used for any other purpose whatsoever. The only amounts an organization may deduct before calculating net proceeds are actual business expenses for items essential to running the games.¹

Allowable expenses are the direct costs of the session: equipment rental, cards, supplies bought from licensed distributors, and the facility costs tied to the game itself. Using bingo revenue to pad the general operating budget or fund activities outside the group’s stated purpose creates legal exposure. An education-focused nonprofit should be sending its bingo proceeds to scholarships, tutoring, or classroom materials, not to unrelated overhead.

Records and Posted Notices

Organizations must keep detailed records of all bingo-related income and expenses. For instant bingo, distributors and manufacturers must retain invoice records for at least three years, and a copy of the invoice has to be on the premises wherever instant bingo tickets are stored or in play.¹

During each session, a notice must be posted in a visible spot on the premises listing the organization’s name and the designated members in charge. This is a specific statutory requirement, not a courtesy. Records and postings have to be available for inspection by the Department of Revenue or other authorized entities.

Penalties for Violations

Any organization or individual who willfully and knowingly violates any provision of the bingo statute commits a first-degree misdemeanor. That carries up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.³⁴

A second or subsequent offense is a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000.¹³

The escalation turns on repetition, not severity. A seemingly minor breach, such as running past the five-hour cap or skipping the posted notice, is still a violation if done willfully and knowingly. Do it twice and it is a felony, whether or not fraud was involved.

Federal Tax and Reporting Overlays

Bingo revenue usually is not unrelated business taxable income for a qualifying nonprofit. Federal regulations exclude bingo from UBTI when the games do not violate state or local law and bingo is not ordinarily carried on commercially in that jurisdiction.⁵ Because Florida bars for-profit bingo operators, the commercial condition is generally satisfied. The state-law condition is the risk: violate Section 849.0931 and the federal exclusion goes with it, potentially making the revenue taxable.

Any tax-exempt organization with $1,000 or more in gross income from a regularly conducted unrelated trade or business must file Form 990-T.⁶

On the winnings side, bingo prizes of $2,000 or more must be reported to the IRS on Form W-2G for 2026.⁷ If a winner fails to provide a correct taxpayer identification number, the organization must apply backup withholding at 24 percent, calculated on winnings that may be reduced, at the organization’s option, by the amount wagered.⁸

Florida’s $250 jackpot cap sits well under the W-2G threshold, so regular games rarely trigger reporting. Instant bingo is the exception, since prize amounts are set by the ticket or flare rather than by the state cap. Organizations offering instant bingo should have W-2G procedures ready.

Local Permits and Accessibility

The state does not issue a bingo license, but local governments can. Counties and municipalities may require their own permits, registrations, or fees. Check with the county or city clerk before scheduling games.

Bingo held in spaces open to the public also has to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Under Title III, assembly-type venues must meet the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design, which require wheelchair spaces with companion seats and provide that at least five percent of aisle seats be accessible and located near accessible routes.⁹ Both the organization and the property owner can face liability for accessibility failures, so confirm the space meets the standards before signing a lease.

1
Florida Senate. Florida Code 849.0931 – Bingo Authorized; Conditions for Conduct; Permitted Uses of Proceeds; Limitations
2
Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 849.0931 – Bingo Authorized
3
Justia. Florida Code 775.082 – Penalties; Applicability of Sentencing Structures
4
Online Sunshine. Florida Statutes 775.083 – Fines
5
eCFR. 26 CFR 1.513-5 – Certain Bingo Games Not Unrelated Trade or Business
6
Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form 990-T
7
Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Forms W-2G and 5754
8
Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Forms W-2G and 5754
9
Access-Board.gov. ADA Accessibility Standards