Vermont Statewide Rule

Vermont Nonprofit Charitable Gaming Rules (13 V.S.A. § 2143)

Some RestrictionsApplies statewide across Vermont (2026)

Key Facts

Single-game prize cap: $400 per game, $50,000/year for vehicles or firearms
Casino events per location: One per quarter or three per year, 15-day gaps
Casino events run by a nonprofit: One per calendar month, statewide
Worker compensation cap: $2,000 per person; $15,000 total per year
Financial reporting trigger: Report due June 15 if proceeds top $10,000
Governing law: 13 V.S.A. § 2143, inside the criminal code
Penalty for violations: Up to $500; up to $100,000 and 3 years for repeat violations

Last verified: August 21, 2026

Summary

Vermont's criminal code bans gambling outright, but 13 V.S.A. § 2143 carves out nonprofits: charitable, religious, educational, civic, and fraternal groups may run raffles, bingo, and casino nights to raise funds. The carve-out caps individual prizes at $400, allows up to $50,000 for an annual vehicle or firearm prize, limits how often a location can host casino events, and forces financial disclosure once a group's take exceeds $10,000 a year.

(a) Notwithstanding the provisions of this chapter, a nonprofit organization, as defined in 31 V.S.A. § 1201(5), may organize and execute, and an individual may participate in lotteries, raffles, or other games of chance for the purpose of raising funds to be used in charitable, religious, educational, and civic undertakings or used by fraternal organizations to provide direct support to charitable, religious, educational, or civic undertakings with which they are affiliated. Except as provided in subsection (d) of this section, gambling machines and other mechanical devices described in section 2135 of this title shall not be utilized under authority of this section.

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Full Breakdown

Title 13, chapter 51 of Vermont's criminal code otherwise treats games of chance as gambling offenses, but § 2143(a) exempts nonprofit organizations, as defined in 31 V.S.A. § 1201(5), and lets them 'organize and execute, and an individual...participate in lotteries, raffles, or other games of chance' to fund charitable, religious, educational, and civic undertakings, or to let fraternal organizations support the causes they're affiliated with. Gambling machines and mechanical devices barred under § 2135 stay off-limits except at the casino events § 2143(d) separately authorizes.

Prize values are capped by frequency: no more than $400 for a single game, $1,000 for one game a day, $5,000 for one game a month, and $50,000 for a single annual game awarding a motor vehicle, firearm, motorcycle, or watercraft. Casino events, any 24-hour stretch featuring games of chance beyond the exempted fairs, bazaars, break-open tickets, bingo, lotteries, and raffles, are rationed by location and organizer: a venue caps out at one event per quarter or three a year with at least 15 days between them; a nonprofit-owned venue gets two a month with 10-day spacing; and a nonprofit itself may run only one casino event a month.

Anyone working a game of chance is capped at $2,000 in compensation per calendar year, and a nonprofit's total payouts to all workers and organizers can't exceed $15,000 in the aggregate annually. Groups that clear more than $10,000 in a year and don't already file IRS Form 990 must submit a financial report to the state by June 15, using forms the Commissioner of Taxes designs under § 2143(g). Alcoholic beverages can be awarded as prizes under a Title 7 exception, but electronic bingo transmitted to a remote location is flatly barred under subsection (c).

Violations & Penalties

Intentionally violating subsection (a), running games of chance without qualifying as a nonprofit, draws a fine of up to $500. Violating the casino-event, prize-limit, compensation-cap, or reporting rules in subsections (c) through (f) is punished more heavily: up to $10,000 for a first offense, and up to $100,000 and three years' imprisonment, or both, for each offense after that.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a Vermont nonprofit legally run a casino night?

Yes. 13 V.S.A. § 2143(d) lets a nonprofit organize one casino event per calendar month, and a location it owns can host up to two a month with at least 10 days between them. Any other venue is limited to one casino event per quarter or three a year, spaced at least 15 days apart, and the proceeds must go to charitable, religious, educational, or civic purposes.

How big can a raffle or bingo prize be under Vermont law?

Standard games are capped at $400 for a single prize, though a nonprofit can offer up to $1,000 for one game a day and $5,000 for one game a month. Once a year, a nonprofit may award a motor vehicle, firearm, motorcycle, or watercraft worth up to $50,000 in a single game, under 13 V.S.A. § 2143(e)(4).

Does a Vermont charity have to report its gambling income to the state?

Yes, if it raises more than $10,000 in a year from games of chance and doesn't already file IRS Form 990 or 990-T. That nonprofit must file a financial report with the state by June 15 covering the preceding year, using forms the Vermont Commissioner of Taxes designs under 13 V.S.A. § 2143(f) and (g).

What's the penalty for a nonprofit that breaks these gambling rules?

Intentionally violating the basic nonprofit-only rule in subsection (a) is a fine of up to $500. Breaking the prize, casino-event, compensation, or reporting limits in subsections (c) through (f) is treated as a more serious offense: up to $10,000 for a first violation, and up to $100,000 plus three years in prison for any offense after that, under § 2143(i) and (j).

Sources

The Vermont Statutes Online — 13 V.S.A. § 2143

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