Section 60. Rules of play

A. Each organization shall adopt "house rules" regarding conduct of the session. The "house rules" for the network bingo game shall be adopted by a mutual agreement among all of the organizations participating in a particular network bingo or by the network bingo provider. Such rules shall be consistent with the provisions of the law and this chapter. "House rules" shall be conspicuously posted or printed on the game program.

B. All players shall be physically present at the location where the bingo numbers for a bingo game are drawn to play the game or to claim a prize, except when the player, who has purchased a network bingo card, is participating in network bingo. Seal card prizes that can only be determined after a seal is removed or opened must be claimed within 30 days of the close of a deal. All other prizes must be claimed on the game date.

C. The following rules of play shall govern the sale of instant bingo, pull-tabs, and seal cards:

1. No cards that have been marked, defaced, altered, tampered with, or otherwise constructed in a manner that tends to deceive the public or affect the chances of winning or losing shall be placed into play.

2. Winning cards shall have the winning symbol or number defaced or punched immediately after redemption by the organization's authorized representative.

3. An organization may commingle unsold instant bingo cards and pull-tabs with no more than one additional deal. The practice of commingling deals shall be disclosed to the public via house rules or in a similar manner. Seal card deals shall not be commingled.

4. If a deal is not played to completion and unsold cards remain, the remaining cards shall be sold at the next session the same type of ticket is scheduled to be sold. If no future date is anticipated, the organization shall, after making diligent efforts to sell the entire deal, consider the deal closed or completed. The unsold cards shall be retained for a minimum of three years following the close of the fiscal year and shall not be opened.

5. All seal card games purchased shall contain the sign-up sheet, the seals, and the cards packaged together in each deal.

6. Progressive seal card prizes not claimed within 30 days shall be carried forward to the next progressive seal card game in progress and paid to the next progressive seal card game prize winner.

D. No one involved in the conduct of bingo may play bingo, play network bingo, or purchase network bingo cards at any session they have worked or intend to work. No one involved in the sale or redemption of any instant bingo, pull-tabs, seal cards, or electronic pull-tabs may purchase directly or through others instant bingo, pull-tab, seal card, or electronic pull-tab products from organizations they assist on the day they have worked or from any deal they have helped sell or redeem, whichever occurs later.

E. Electronic bingo.

1. Electronic bingo devices may be used by bingo players in the following manner:

a. Players may input into the device each number called or the device may automatically daub each number as the number is called;

b. Players must notify the game operator or caller of a winning pattern of bingo by a means other than use of the electronic bingo device;

c. Players are limited to playing a maximum of 54 card faces per device per game;

d. Electronic bingo devices shall not be reserved for players. Each player shall have an equal opportunity to use the available electronic bingo devices on a first come, first served basis;

e. Each electronic bingo device shall produce a player receipt with the organization name, date, time, location, sequential transaction or receipt number, number of electronic bingo cards loaded, cost of electronic bingo cards loaded, and date and time of the transaction. Images of cards or faces stored in an electronic bingo device must be exact duplicates of the printed faces if faces are printed;

f. Department agents may examine and inspect any electronic bingo device and related system. Such examination and inspection shall include immediate access to the electronic bingo device and unlimited inspection of all parts and associated systems and may involve the removal of equipment from the game premises for further testing;

g. All electronic bingo devices must be loaded or enabled for play on the premises where the game will be played;

h. All electronic bingo devices shall be rented or otherwise provided to a player only by an organization and no part of the proceeds of the rental of such devices shall be paid to a landlord, or his employee, agent, or member of his immediate family; and

i. If a player's call of a bingo is disputed by another player, or if a department agent makes a request, one or more cards stored on an electronic bingo device shall be printed by the organization.

2. Players may exchange a defective electronic bingo device for another electronic bingo device provided a disinterested player verifies that the device is not functioning. A disinterested player shall also verify that no numbers called for the game in progress have been keyed into the replacement electronic bingo device prior to the exchange.

F. The following rules of play shall govern the conduct of raffles:

1. Before a prize drawing, each stub or other detachable section of each ticket sold shall be placed into a receptacle from which the winning tickets shall be drawn. The receptacle shall be designed so that each ticket placed in it has an equal chance to be drawn.

2. All prizes shall be valued at fair market value.

G. The following rules shall apply to "decision bingo" games:

1. Decision bingo shall be played on bingo cards in the conventional manner.

2. Players shall enter a game by paying a predetermined amount for each card face in play.

3. Players shall pay a predetermined fee for each set of three bingo numbers called for each card in play.

4. The prize amount shall be the total of all fees not to exceed the prize limit set forth for regular bingo in § 18.2-340.33 of the Code of Virginia. Any excess funds shall be retained by the organization.

5. The predetermined amounts in subdivisions 2 and 3 of this subsection shall be printed in the game program. The prize amount for a game shall be announced before the prize is paid to the winner.

H. The following rules shall apply to "treasure chest" games:

1. The organization shall list the treasure chest game on the bingo game program as a "Treasure Chest Raffle."

2. The organization shall have house rules posted that describe how the game is to be played.

3. The treasure chest participant shall only be selected through some other authorized charitable game at the same bingo session.

4. The organization shall account for all funds as treasure chest/raffle sales on the session reconciliation form.

5. If the player does not open the lock on the treasure chest, the game manager or his designee shall proceed to try every key until the correct key opens the treasure chest lock to show all players that one of the keys will open the lock.

I. The following rules shall apply to progressive bingo games:

1. Bingo paper sold for use in progressive bingo games shall conform to the standards set forth in 11VAC15-40-130.

2. Organizations shall not include in admission packs the bingo paper intended for use in progressive bingo games.

3. Any progressive bingo game, its prize, and the number of bingo numbers to be called shall be clearly announced before the progressive bingo game is played and shall be posted on the premises where the progressive bingo game is played during each session that a progressive bingo game is played.

4. Pricing for a progressive bingo game card or sheet shall be listed on the game program.

5. If the predetermined pattern is not covered within the predetermined number of bingo numbers to be called, then the number of bingo numbers called will increase by one number for each subsequent session the progressive bingo game is played.

6. If the predetermined pattern is not covered within the predetermined number of bingo numbers to be called for that progressive bingo game, then the game will continue as a regular bingo game until the predetermined pattern is covered and a regular bingo prize is awarded.

7. The prize for any progressive bingo game shall be in accordance with the provisions of subdivision 10 of § 18.2-340.33 of the Code of Virginia.

J. The following rules shall apply to "WINGO":

1. "WINGO" shall be played only for the hearing-impaired players.

2. "WINGO" shall utilize a visual device such as an oversized deck of cards in place of balls selected from a blower.

3. A caller must be in an area visible to all players and shall randomly select cards or other visual devices one at a time and display them so that all players can see them.

4. The organization must have house rules for "WINGO" and the rules shall identify how players indicate that they have won.

5. All financial reporting shall be consistent with reporting for a traditional bingo game.

K. The following rules of play shall apply to event games:

1. No instant bingo cards or pull-tabs that have been marked, defaced, altered, tampered with, or otherwise constructed in a manner that tends to deceive the public or affect the chances of winning or losing shall be placed into play.

2. Instant bingo cards and pull-tabs used in an event game shall not be offered for sale or sold at a purchase price other than the purchase price indicated on the flare for that particular deal.

3. The maximum prize amount for event games shall not exceed the amount set forth in subdivision 9 of § 18.2-340.33 of the Code of Virginia for instant bingo, pull-tab, or seal card.

4. A sign-up sheet is not required for event games in which the winner or winners are determined using a seal card.

5. Organizations shall determine the winner or winners of event games during the same bingo session in which the instant bingo cards or pull-tabs are sold.

6. An authorized representative of the organization shall deface or punch the winning instant bingo cards or winning pull-tabs immediately after redemption.

7. If unsold bingo cards or unsold pull-tabs remain, the unsold cards shall be retained for a minimum of three years following the close of the fiscal year and shall not be opened.

Historical Notes

Derived from Volume 29, Issue 03, eff. November 7, 2012; amended, Virginia Register Volume 33, Issue 04, eff. November 17, 2016.

Statutory Authority

§ 18.2-340.15 of the Code of Virginia.