Charitable Gaming Division

The Charitable Games Division is charged with the duty to ensure the integrity of gaming and ensure bingo players can play an honest game and that the profits made by the sponsoring organization will go to charity as prescribed by the Constitution of Missouri.

Charitable gaming includes licensed bingo and other associated games such as pull-tabs, merchandise coin boards, and other “free” no charge promotional events. The operation of bingo and the other associated games is restricted to qualified licensed, religious, charitable, fraternal, veteran, and service organizations. The Charitable Games Division also licenses hall providers, as well as, suppliers and manufacturers of bingo products.

Bingo organizations are served daily in the Charitable Games Division’s day-to-day operations through rule interpretations, opinions, guidance, general direction, resolution of complaints and investigations. In addition, members of the audit and administrative charitable games staff visit new licensees within the first several months of their bingo operation. This process allows the staff to personally guide the organizations in the right direction, as well as enables the licensees to immediately request assistance regarding any audit and/or administrative problems or concerns they may have already encountered. The MGC Charitable Games Division audit staff is also available to assist the organizations in learning how to keep proper records. The Charitable Games Division also handles all tax collection, reporting, complaints and investigations of bingo incidents, discipline of licensees, penalties and fines, and audits of all licensees.

Bingo Tax and Proceeds

All bingo tax is deposited into the Proceeds for Education Fund. More than $100 million has been generated in tax revenue since bingo was legalized. All proceeds over and above the actual cost of conducting the bingo game must be used for lawful, charitable, religious or philanthropic purposes of the organization, and no part of the net earnings may inure to the benefit of any individual member of the organization. Bingo proceeds collected by not-for-profit organizations are used to fund various projects such as veterans homes, Relay for Life, drug awareness programs, prevention of child abuse, cancer care and research, Alzheimer’s care and research, Kidney Foundation, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Boy & Girl Scouts, Ronald McDonald House, various religious organizations, Boys State, scholarships, sight and hearing care for impoverished citizens, transportation services to burn centers, and many more.