Rhode Island Statewide Rule

Rhode Island Charitable Gaming Registration and Bingo Rules

Significant RestrictionsApplies statewide across Rhode Island (2026)

Key Facts

Governing law: R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-19-30 et seq.
Regulator: RI State Police Charitable Gaming Unit
Bingo frequency: Not more than twice per calendar week
Bingo prize cap: $7,500 total cash/merchandise prizes per night
Minimum age: 18 to play or operate the game
Renewal deadline: Registration renewal due before June 1 annually
Application fee: $5 per application, by check or money order

Last verified: August 21, 2026

Summary

Rhode Island lets only registered charitable organizations run bingo, raffles, and similar games of chance, under R.I. Gen. Laws § 11-19-30 et seq. The State Police Charitable Gaming Unit issues the registration and per-event license; bingo prizes cap at $7,500 a night, sessions run twice a week at most, and no one under 18 may play or work the game.

Any charitable organization approved by the department may promote, carry on, or conduct the game of bingo provided as follows: ... The game is carried on or conducted not more than twice in any period of one calendar week under a license issued pursuant to the provisions of § 11-19-37. ... The total prizes, in the form of cash and/or retail merchandise including prizes from winner-take-all games, which are offered or awarded do not exceed the sum of seven thousand five hundred dollars ($7,500) in any one night. ... No person under the age of eighteen (18) years shall be permitted to play the game.

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Full Breakdown

Rhode Island channels every charitable game of chance, bingo, raffles, Las Vegas nights, pull-tabs, and the '20-week club' lottery, through Title 11, Chapter 19 of the General Laws, enforced by the Rhode Island State Police Charitable Gaming Unit rather than any city or town; that authority moved from the Lottery Commission to State Police in 1979.

Before running a single event, a nonprofit must file a registration statement 'upon prescribed forms' and receive a certificate of approval; renewal statements are due 'prior to June 1st of each year' under § 11-19-31. The department can deny or pull a registration if game expenses exceeded 25% of gross receipts in any of the prior three years, or if the application misstates facts. Applications cost $5, payable only by check or money order.

Bingo itself runs under § 11-19-32: an approved organization may conduct the game 'not more than twice in any period of one calendar week,' total nightly prizes, cash or merchandise, including winner-take-all games, cannot top $7,500, and 'no person under the age of eighteen (18) years shall be permitted to play the game.' The organization's own members must run it; no one drawing pay from the proceeds may manage the game, and net receipts must go to the group's charitable purpose.

Raffle applications route first to the local police chief (Providence goes through City Hall) before State Police sign off. Senior-citizen housing associations get a narrower carve-out: in-house raffles capped at $500 in total prizes, limited to three a year, open only to resident seniors. The Charitable Gaming Unit can suspend or revoke any license 'for just cause after a hearing,' and violations can also draw criminal charges.

Violations & Penalties

A first violation lets the department 'cancel, suspend the registration, or refuse to accept a delinquent report.' Criminally, a first offense under § 11-19-39 carries a fine up to $1,000, imprisonment up to one year, or both; a second or later offense escalates to a fine up to $5,000 and up to five years imprisonment, or both. The Charitable Gaming Unit can also suspend or revoke a license outright after a hearing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can legally run bingo or raffles in Rhode Island?

Only a 'charitable organization' as defined in § 11-19-30, a benevolent, educational, religious, civic, fraternal, or similar nonprofit, and only after it registers with the State Police Charitable Gaming Unit and receives a certificate of approval. The organization's own members must run the game, and net proceeds must go to the group's charitable purpose, not to paid staff or outside promoters.

How much can a bingo night pay out in prizes?

Total prizes for one night, cash plus retail merchandise, including winner-take-all games, cannot exceed $7,500 under § 11-19-32. Games can run no more than twice in any calendar week per license, and no one under 18 may play, sell tickets, or otherwise work the game.

What happens if a charity's game expenses run too high?

The State Police can refuse to register or renew a charitable organization if its game expenses exceeded 25% of gross receipts in any of the three years before the application, among other grounds like fraud or a threat to public health and safety. Existing registrations can also be canceled or suspended for a first violation.

Can a nonprofit skip registration for a small one-time raffle?

No: every permitted game of chance needs prior registration and a per-event license. A narrower exception exists only for senior-citizen housing associations, which may hold in-house raffles capped at $500 in total prizes, up to three times a year, open only to resident seniors, without the full charitable-organization licensing process.

Sources

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