Islip, NY Gambling & Gaming: Charitable Bingo and Raffles (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- Town Clerk license before play
- Prize cap
- $100 per prize
- Wager cap
- $10 per wager
- Sessions per year
- 12 maximum
- Age limit
- 18+ to play or manage
- Penalty
- Up to $1,000 fine, 1 year, 5-yr ban
Summary
Town Code Chapter 22 requires a Town Clerk license before any group runs a game of chance in Islip, caps single prizes at $100 and wagers at $10, and limits play to 12 sessions a year within fixed hours. Violators face a misdemeanor, up to $1,000 fine or a year in jail, and a five-year license ban.
No single prize can exceed the amount or value of one hundred dollars ($100.). ... No wager can exceed the amount or value of ten dollars ($10.). ... No series of prizes on any one (1) license period shall exceed the amount or value of one thousand dollars ($1,000.). ... No games of chance shall be conducted by an authorized organization more than twelve (12) times in a calendar year. ... No games of chance shall be conducted except between the hours of 12:00 noon and 12:00 midnight, Monday through Thursday, and between the hours of 12:00 noon Friday and Saturday to 2:00 a.m., and until 2:00 a.m. Sunday and, at the discretion of the Town Clerk, on Sunday to run until 2:00 a.m. Monday.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4826765; v112 updated 2026-02-24; through 02-24-2026).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 22, Games of Chance, adopted by the Town Board in 1976 under the state's charitable-gaming enabling law, requires any 'authorized organization', a bona fide religious, charitable, educational, service, veterans' or volunteer-firefighter group in existence at least three years, to obtain a license from the Town Clerk before conducting games of chance (games decided by number, color or symbol; the chapter excludes bingo, lotto, slot machines and numbers games, which are separately regulated). Section 22-8 lays out the operating limits: no single prize may exceed $100, no wager may exceed $10, and no series of prizes in one license period may top $1,000.
m. Monday at the Town Clerk's discretion). Admission cannot exceed $2, only beer may be sold and only under a separate ABC license, no one under 18 may play or work the games, and no alcoholic beverage may be awarded as a prize. The license fee is $25 per license period under § 22-5, with 50% of hall-lessor fees plus $15 per license period remitted monthly to the State Comptroller. Advertising is limited to one on-premises sign under Chapter 68's sign rules, and organizations must file a sworn financial statement with the Clerk within seven days of each license period.
Violations & Fines
Under § 22-12, any violation is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to $1,000, up to a year's imprisonment, or both, and the violator forfeits the license and is barred from applying for a new one for five years. Separately, Chapter 5 governs bingo specifically, capping single-game prizes at $250 and season totals at $1,000 per occasion, with Sunday-night play requiring prior Town Board consent.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can any nonprofit run a casino night or games of chance in Islip?
How big can prizes be at a licensed games-of-chance event in Islip?
How often and when can these games be held?
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Islip
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