Legislation Page Table of Contents The New Jersey Legislation:   Registering with the: Legalized Games of Chance Control Commission? Charities Registration Office? Obtaining my license number for the Casino? Frequently Asked Questions

In February of 1999, Governor Christine Todd Whitman signed a legislative bill which recognized "Casino Nights" and a "Night at the Track" as valid Games of Chance. Prior to this, groups were basically checking with local municipalities to receive the ok to conduct a casino night. Some were successful, other had a more difficult time, as no permits or licensing procedures were available from the state.

I am glad to report that with the passing of the bill, the Legalized Games of Chance Control Commission now recognizes "Casino Nights" and a "Night at the Track" as permissible Games of Chance, and consider the activities as another form of raffle. We are thus now considered "Raffle Equipment Suppliers".

With this in mind, the State has issued new regulation and licensing forms which an organization must fill out. We are familiar with the forms and can assist you in their completion. The forms are of a simple nature and a good portion of their content consists of basic information on your group such as names, members, addresses, etc. Other information that will be requested are materials your group probably already has, such as By-laws, Articles of Incorporation, Constitutions, etc., a twelve-month fiscal report showing your gross contributions (which your treasurer should already have, etc.

To begin, any organization that wishes to hold a fundraiser needs to be registered with the Legalized Games of Chance Control Commission (LGCCC). If you are a 501-C3 organization, chances are you already have an identification number with them. This number is what the state gives you so that you may hold any game of chance, such as a 50-50, bingo, off-premise raffle, etc.

If you are not a 501-C3 organization, a qualified organization means: a bona-fide organization or association of veterans, religious congregation, religious organization, charitable organization, educational organization, fraternal organization, civic and service club, officially recognized volunteer fire company, officially recognized first aid squad, and officially recognized rescue squad, and senior citizens association or club.

If you feel you do not fall within this description, simply give our office a call and we will help find out if you are considered as a qualified organization to conduct a game of chance.

If you are NOT registered with the LGCCC all you have to do is contact the Legalized Games of Chance Control Commission (the contact information is listed on our FAQ page) and they will send you an "Initial Affidavit and Application for Biennial Registration" which consists of two pages. The fee for a registration number if you do not already have one is $50.00 for a two year period.

In addition you will also need to register with the Charities Registration & Investigation Section of the Division of Consumer Affairs, Office of Consumer Affairs. (The contact information is listed on our FAQ page.) Some groups are exempt from having to register (ie. religious organization and catholic schools) but your best bet is to contact their office and ask them if you need to register.

If you find out you are a qualified organization and are not currently registered with their office, you will need to fill out an application for review. Based on your organization's gross contributions over the last 12 fiscal months, you will have a choice of forms you will need to fill out.

1. If your gross contributions were less than $25,000 for the preceding year, you should request a:
   Short Form Registration / Verification Statement CRI-200 This is a simple 3-page form, including a financial statement page (the treasurer of your group or accountant should already have a 12 month financial).
2. If your organization's gross contributions were over $25,000 and you are registering for the first time (initially) with the Charities Registration Office, you should request a: Form 150I
   Instructions for filling out this form:
   Instruction for form 150I
3. If your organization's gross contributions were over $25,000 and if you are Renewing your registration with the Charities Registration Office, you should request a:
   Form 300R
   
   Again this is a simple form you should be able to fill out with relative ease.
   The fee for registration with the Charities Registration Office is based on the group's most recently completed fiscal year:
   
   
   

   If the gross contributions were:		Fee
   Less than $10,000		No Fee
   Between $10,000 & $25,000		$30.00
   Between $25,000 & $100,000		$60.00
   Between $100,000 & $500,000		$150.00
   Over $500,000		$250.00

Each Municipal Clerk should now have a form you can request when you want to conduct a Casino Night. The name of the form you should request is a "Casino Night Disclosure Form." Since these forms have only recently been distributed to each town clerk, you may find that some clerks are not familiar with them or simply do not have them. If this is the case, contact the LGCCC or we can supply the form.

The back of the form lists whether or not you will be running other forms of valid Games of Chance that evening, i.e. an on-premise 50-50, an off-premise drawing; and on-premise drawing (separate from the raffle Chance Auction tied to the Casino); Instant Raffle Tickets; Carnival Wheels or Games; Big Six Wheel (cash only); or others for which you will need to provide an explanation.

In the meantime, your Raffle Equipment Supplier (in this case, Tumbling Dice) will fill out what is called a Certification Form 13. Once Tumbling Dice completes the Form 13 (and we get it notarized) we will send it to you so that you may attach it to your "Casino Night Disclosure Form."

Upon receipt of the "Casino Night Disclosure Form" and the Certification Form 13," the LGCCC will then proceed with the review to get you your license number.

It looks like a lot at first glance, but we will help you through it. If you are already registered with the LGCCC and the Charities Registration Office, the only filing of paperwork you have is the Casino Night Disclosure Form (along with Tumbling Dice's Certification Form 13).

If you are a qualified organization who is just now registering with the LGCCC and / or the Charities Registration Office, you will be doing your organization a huge favor. By going through the proper procedures, your organization will be eligible to hold ALL games of chance, not just Casino Nights and Night at the Track.