Bingo is legal in Tennessee only in narrow circumstances. A qualifying nonprofit can host bingo once a year as an authorized charitable gaming event, with prizes capped at $1,000 per game. Any other bingo played for money or prizes is illegal gambling. Bingo played purely for fun, with no entry fee and nothing of value at stake, is not gambling at all.
Bingo Counts as Gambling Under Tennessee Law
Tennessee defines gambling as risking anything of value for a return that depends to any degree on chance. Bingo fits that definition. The statute carves out a handful of exceptions (the state lottery, fantasy sports, legal sports wagering, and authorized nonprofit annual events), and everything else is prohibited.1Justia. Tennessee Code 39-17-501 – Part Definitions
The Tennessee Constitution reinforces the ban. Article XI, Section 5 prohibits lotteries other than the state education lottery and events the General Assembly has authorized by a two-thirds vote for qualifying nonprofits.2Tennessee Secretary of State. Constitution of the State of Tennessee Bingo is treated as a lottery for these purposes, which is why hosting it requires state authorization.
The Nonprofit Exception
The Tennessee Nonprofit Gaming Law in Title 3, Chapter 17 authorizes bingo as a permitted lottery game at annual charitable gaming events, alongside raffles, reverse raffles, cakewalks, and cakewheels. The Secretary of State administers the program and reviews applications.3FindLaw. Tennessee Code Title 3 Legislature 3-17-1024Justia. Tennessee Code 3-17-115 – Rules and Regulations by Secretary of State
Who Can Apply
Only two categories of tax-exempt organizations are eligible, and both face residency requirements:
- 501(c)(3) organizations that have been in continuous, active existence in Tennessee for at least five years before the event date. Alternative pathways exist for school foundations, volunteer fire departments, and organizations that have merged with longer-standing Tennessee nonprofits.
- 501(c)(19) veterans’ organizations that have been continuously and actively operating in Tennessee for at least five years, or for four years as part of a national 501(c)(19) organization.3FindLaw. Tennessee Code Title 3 Legislature 3-17-102
The application window opens July 1 and closes January 31 for events during the following July 1 to June 30 annual event period. There’s a $50 application fee, and the president, chair, or chief administrative officer must sign. No officer, director, or principal staff member can have a conviction for theft, fraud, or gambling offenses.5Justia. Tennessee Code 3-17-104 – Annual Event Application
What the Rules Look Like at an Authorized Event
The framework is built to keep charitable bingo small and volunteer-run. Several limits deserve attention before an organization commits to hosting.
One Event Per Year, One Day Long
Each nonprofit (including its chapters and affiliates sharing the same tax exemption) gets one annual event in the July 1 to June 30 cycle. The event is a single day, defined as midnight to 11:59 p.m. Organizations have a 28-day window around the listed date to actually hold it. No more than two annual events from any organizations can share the same location in a county during any calendar month.3FindLaw. Tennessee Code Title 3 Legislature 3-17-102
Prizes Capped at $1,000 Per Game
The maximum prize for any single bingo game, whether regular, progressive, or special, is $1,000. That cap applies whether the prize is cash, goods, services, or a mix. Every prize must be identified in writing and announced before the session begins, and payments must be made out to a named person, not to cash.6Justia. Tennessee Comp. R. and Regs. 1360-03-03-.19 – Bingo Prizes
Volunteers Only
Bingo games must be run by volunteers. The rules specifically prohibit hiring outside companies or professional operators to conduct the bingo portion of the event.4Justia. Tennessee Code 3-17-115 – Rules and Regulations by Secretary of State
Age and Location
Participants must be at least 18. The event has to take place in a county where the organization has a physical presence or in a contiguous county. Each annual event is limited to one type of lottery game, so a bingo event cannot also include a raffle.3FindLaw. Tennessee Code Title 3 Legislature 3-17-102
Free Bingo Is Not Regulated
Because gambling requires risking something of value, bingo played with no entry fee and no prizes falls outside the gambling statutes entirely.1Justia. Tennessee Code 39-17-501 – Part Definitions The Secretary of State’s office has confirmed that bingo events “purely recreational in nature,” where participants are not required to pay for a chance to win, fall outside the charitable gaming framework.7Tennessee Secretary of State. Charitable Gaming Event FAQs
A church, senior center, or community group can hold a bingo night with free cards and no cash prizes without applying for anything. Introduce an entry fee or a prize of real value, though, and the activity becomes gambling. At that point it must fit inside the nonprofit annual event framework or face criminal exposure.
Online Bingo for Money Is Illegal
Tennessee’s gambling prohibition applies whether the game runs in a physical room or on a screen. In late 2025, the Tennessee Attorney General’s office sent cease-and-desist letters to nearly forty online sweepstakes casinos, including platforms offering bingo-style games where virtual currency could be redeemed for real prizes. Every recipient either shut down or agreed to wind down operations.8Tennessee Attorney General’s Office. Tennessee Attorney General Cracks Down on Illegal Online Sweepstakes Casinos The office takes the position that the sweepstakes model constitutes an illegal lottery under the Tennessee Constitution.
Formats Still Banned Even at Authorized Events
Some bingo-related formats remain off the table under the nonprofit gaming law. Pull-tabs, punchboards, instant bingo, and video lottery versions of bingo cannot be played at authorized events.3FindLaw. Tennessee Code Title 3 Legislature 3-17-102 The authorized version is traditional bingo: physical cards with lettered and numbered spaces, where a winner matches a pre-announced pattern from randomly drawn calls. Electronic bingo machines and slot-style devices are not permitted.
Penalties for Illegal Bingo
Running or playing bingo outside the authorized framework triggers the criminal gambling statutes. The penalty depends on your role.
- Playing in an illegal bingo game is a Class C misdemeanor, carrying up to 30 days in jail and a fine of up to $50.9Justia. Tennessee Code 39-17-502 – Gambling – Defenses10Justia. Tennessee Code 40-35-111 – Authorized Terms of Imprisonment and Fines for Felonies and Misdemeanors
- Promoting or organizing illegal bingo is a Class B misdemeanor when the promoter intends to profit or has rigged the odds. The penalty is up to six months in jail and a fine of up to $500.11Justia. Tennessee Code 39-17-503 – Gambling Promotion10Justia. Tennessee Code 40-35-111 – Authorized Terms of Imprisonment and Fines for Felonies and Misdemeanors
A narrow defense exists for participants. If you reasonably and in good faith relied on a promoter’s representations that the event was a lawfully authorized annual event, that reliance can serve as an affirmative defense, proved by a preponderance of the evidence. It won’t help if the event wasn’t actually an authorized type of game.9Justia. Tennessee Code 39-17-502 – Gambling – Defenses