New Mexico Charitable Bingo and Raffle Licensing

The Bingo and Raffle Act, administered by the New Mexico Gaming Control Board under NMSA 1978 §§ 60-2F-3 and 60-2F-6, sets a closed licensing scheme rather than a blanket local rule. 9 NMAC creates three license classes: a manufacturer's license to produce or sell equipment to licensed distributors or qualified organizations; a distributor's license to buy, sell, distribute, or market that equipment; and a bingo-and-raffle operator's license, the one a qualified nonprofit needs to acquire equipment and actually conduct games of chance on its licensed premises.

Staff permits are separate and required for bingo callers, bingo managers, alternate managers, accountants, and other bingo employees the Board designates. 14 NMAC run $200 for each of the manufacturer, distributor, and operator licenses, $50 for manager and accountant staff permits, and $25 for other employee permits, plus additional investigative fees, all nonrefundable regardless of outcome. 6 NMAC. Raffle tickets must be consecutively numbered and show the state license number, the word 'raffle,' and the date, time, and place of the drawing; a prize over $75,000 triggers a separate submission requirement. Pull-tab deals are capped at 25,000 tickets sold at one price, and electronic or video pull-tab machines are flatly prohibited. '

Running bingo, raffles, or pull-tabs without the matching Gaming Control Board license, sourcing equipment from an unlicensed seller, or letting an unpermitted person call or manage a session violates the Act and its rules, exposing the license to suspension or revocation under 15.4.13 NMAC. Grounds include false or misleading statements, gambling-related or fraud convictions, disreputable associations, unpaid child support, and failure to file required reports. NMSA 1978 § 60-2F-14 bars a revoked licensee from reapplying for at least one year, and unrelated non-exempt gambling still falls under the criminal gambling statutes, NMSA 1978 §§ 30-19-1 to 30-19-15.