California Gambling Permit
How to Apply For a Charitable Gaming License
To qualify for a gaming license, charitable organizations must:
- be exempt from paying federal income tax, and
- have held tax-exempt status for a period of at least one year, and
- have been engaged primarily in their charitable, fraternal, or religious purpose during this period.
See the links below for instructions and applications for bingo, raffle and Monte Carlo licenses. The handle is defined as the gross sales generated by a gaming event.
Gaming Section Contact
Phone: (971) 673-1880
Fax: (971) 673-1882
Email: Charitable@doj.state.or.us
Bingo Licenses
Under section 326.5 of the California Penal Code, certain California nonprofits are eligible to conduct bingo games if permitted under a local city and/or county ordinance. The authorizing ordinance must be enacted under section 19 of Articles IV of the California Constitution. Gaming license refers to a permit issued by the state to deal, operate, carry on or conduct any gambling game, gaming device, slot machine, race book or sports pool. The license can also be used to operate gaming salon. It is unlawful for any person to engage in any gaming activity without the license. California Sports Betting Proposal Would Permit Gambling at Tribal Run Casinos. Written by: Gilbert Horowitz. Published on: Nov/13/2019. Nov 26, 2019 In California, parimutuel betting is only allowed in the context of horse racing. Charitable Gambling - In California, legal charitable gambling refers to games of bingo in which the proceeds go to a charity. Oftentimes the games are hosted by the charities themselves. Note that bingo is the only game permitted. They are required to apply for a gambling operators license. So far, no major DFS operators have sought to operate in Nevada. Other states, like California, have considered legislation regulating and taxing DFS operators, but have yet to pass any laws. California remains the largest market for DFS sites.
| Bingo Licenses | Authorized Annual Handle Limit | License Fee |
| Class A | Unlimited | $200 |
| Class B | $250,000 | $100 |
| Class C | $75,000 | $40 |
| Class D | $20,000 | $20 |
- Application for a New Bingo License Class – A & B (DOC PDF)
- Application for a Renewal Bingo License Class – A & B (DOC PDF)
- Application for a New and Renewal Bingo License Class – C & D (DOC PDF)
- Bingo Class A Quarterly Report with Handle $3 Mil or Less (DOC PDF)
- Bingo Class A Quarterly Report with Handle $3 Mil or More (DOC PDF)
- Bingo Class B Annual Report (DOC PDF)
- Bingo Class C & D Annual Report (DOC PDF)
- Permanent Change In Operations Notification (DOC PDF)
| Bingo Manager License | License Fee |
| Class M | $40 |
- Application for a New Bingo Manager (DOC PDF)
- Application for a Renewal Bingo Manager (DOC PDF)
- Bingo Game Manager Change Notice (DOC PDF)
Raffle Licenses
| Raffle Licenses | Authorized Annual Handle Limit | License Fee |
| Class A | Unlimited | $100 |
| Class B | Handle not to exceed $10,000 per raffle | $40 |
- New and Renewal Raffle Application (DOC PDF)
- Raffle Annual Report (DOC (PDF)
- Raffle Notice (DOC PDF)
Monte Carlo Licenses
| Monte Carlo Licenses | Authorized Annual Handle Limit | License Fee |
| Class A | Authorizes up to seven events per license year and a handle in excess of $10,000 per event. | $100 |
| Class B | Authorizes up to seven events per license year and a handle not to exceed $5,000 per event, or up to two events per license year with a handle not to exceed $10,000 per event. | $40 |
- Application for a New and Renewal Monte Carlo (DOC PDF)
- Monte Carlo Annual Report (DOC (PDF)
- Notice of Monte Carlo Event (DOC PDF)
| Monte Carlo Contractor Licenses | License Fee |
| Monte Carlo Contractor Application (DOC PDF) | $300 |
| Monte Carlo Supplier Application (DOC PDF) | $50 |
Gaming Handbook
Contact our office for pricing of hard copy.
California Casinos
- CAS – Gaming Handbook (272 pages, printing double sided is recommended)