Tonawanda, NY Gambling & Gaming: Charitable Bingo and Raffles (2026)

Chapter 50 lets any "authorized organization" under General Municipal Law § 476 run bingo in the Town of Tonawanda, outside the Village of Kenmore, once it holds a license under Article 14-H of the General Municipal Law and the rules of what is now the State Racing and Wagering Board, per § 50-1. Chapter 95, adopted January 7, 1980 by Local Law No. 4-1980 and approved by town voters at a special referendum under § 95-9, sets up a parallel scheme for other games of chance under General Municipal Law Article 9-A, licensed by the Town Clerk under § 95-3 and supervised by the Chief of Police as chief law enforcement officer under § 95-7.

Both chapters build in numeric limits the town itself chose to keep: § 50-12 caps games of chance at 10 separate occasions per day, § 50-10 bars anyone under 18 from playing unless accompanied by an adult, and § 50-11 keeps alcohol sales at least 100 feet from the room or area where a game is underway. Prize amounts track the state cap: § 50-6 ties any single bingo prize, and § 50-7 any series of prizes on one occasion, to the limits set in General Municipal Law § 479.

Games may run on Sundays under § 50-9 and § 95-4, but § 95-4 bars games of chance on Easter Sunday, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve. Section 95-6 restricts alcohol sales at games of chance to beer only, and only where a separate license authorizes the sale. A supplier of bingo equipment must itself be licensed under the Bingo Control Law, per § 50-3, and no premises may be rented on a percentage-of-receipts basis under § 50-4.