Florida Bingo Laws

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Section 849.0931 (10), Florida Statutes, regulates public participation in bingo as follows: ' (a) No one under 18 years of age shall be allowed to play any bingo game or be involved in the conduct of a bingo game in any way. Florida State Regulations on the Game Bingo Legal Organizations. The first area of concern addressed by Florida state regulations is that only charitable. No single bingo game can offer a jackpot prize of more than $250 and there can be no more than three.

  1. Florida Gambling Laws. While it is a gaming-friendly state, Florida gambling laws are strict and have many anti-gambling statutes on the books. These parts of the codified law remain in effect even as Florida gambling policy is liberal. Many of the anti-gambling aspects of the law pertain to masquerading charitable gaming as commercial.
  2. The gambling laws in states change all the time. We want to give you accurate, timely information so that you can make good decisions about Gambling Laws in Florida. Of course, if you have specific questions, you should speak with a professional who is well-versed in gambling law.
  • Table Tracing Session Laws to Florida Statutes (2020) [PDF]
  • Table of Section Changes (2020)[PDF]
  • Preface to the Florida Statutes (2020)[PDF]
  • Index to Special and Local Laws (1971-2020)[PDF]
  • General Laws Conversion Table (2020)[PDF]
  • Florida Statutes Definitions Index (2020)[PDF]
  • Index to Special and Local Laws (1845-1970)[PDF]

2012 Florida Statutes

Chapter 849
GAMBLING
Entire Chapter

Florida Bingo Laws

GAMBLING
849.04
Florida bingo license
Permitting minors and persons under guardianship to gamble.
849.07
Permitting gambling on billiard or pool table by holder of license.
849.085
Certain penny-ante games not crimes; restrictions.
849.091
Chain letters, pyramid clubs, etc., declared a lottery; prohibited; penalties.
849.092
Motor fuel retail business; certain activities permitted.
849.0931
Bingo authorized; conditions for conduct; permitted uses of proceeds; limitations.
849.0935

State Of Florida Bingo Laws And Regulations

Charitable, nonprofit organizations; drawings by chance; required disclosures; unlawful acts and practices; penalties.
849.094
Game promotion in connection with sale of consumer products or services.
849.14
Unlawful to bet on result of trial or contest of skill, etc.
849.15
Manufacture, sale, possession, etc., of coin-operated devices prohibited.
849.16
Machines or devices which come within provisions of law defined.
849.161
Amusement games or machines; when chapter inapplicable.
849.20
Machines and devices declared nuisance; place of operation subject to lien for fine.
849.231

Florida Bingo License

Gambling devices; manufacture, sale, purchase or possession unlawful.
849.29

Florida Bingo Laws And Regulations

Persons against whom suits may be brought to recover on gambling contracts.
849.30
Plaintiff entitled to writs of attachment, garnishment and replevin.
849.31
Loser's testimony not to be used against her or him.
849.34
Loser's judgment; recovery of property; writ of assistance.
849.36
Seizure and forfeiture of property used in the violation of lottery and gambling statutes.
849.37
Disposition and appraisal of property seized under this chapter.
849.38
Proceedings for forfeiture; notice of seizure and order to show cause.

Florida betting laws basically cover two platforms. There is the physical, land based, or 'real world' gambling experience, which can sometimes be constrained by your time and travel limitations. Then there is that form of Sunshine State gambling which can be accessed from a mobile device or computer with an Internet connection. There are obvious benefits to these two similar yet different types of legal gambling options offered in Fl, and while we dedicated this site to help give you a better understanding of the virtual gambling experience offered by Florida online betting, we do want to highlight the brick-and-mortar options as well. Throughout the state, Florida residents and visitors can legally enjoy betting 'real money' on greyhounds and thoroughbreds, they can play bingo, sit down to a poker table, bet on Jai-Alai matches and play the lottery at several physical locations. They can even enjoy the ability to place a wager on a sports contest or play their favorite casino games on one of the many cruise ships the state has in operation, or at one of the state's brick and mortar Indian tribe operated casinos.

Florida Online Gambling Laws

Gambling laws in the Sunshine State have recently changed due to the negative experience that the state had with Internet Cafes, which have since been outlawed. The state has tightened up on their laws concerning any state based online gambling laws. It is not legal at this time to operate any type of online gambling site within the state of Florida. That being said, there are no state regulated Internet gambling options for players in Florida. However, there are not any state or federal laws which prohibit FL players from visiting and engaging in gambling activity at virtual destinations which are legally licensed, certified and regulated by a legitimate governing jurisdiction. In fact, legal Florida online casinos attempt to mimic the land based casino experience in a virtual, online version.

Florida Bingo Laws

What is the UIGEA Bill and Does it Affect Florida Online Gambling Options?

The federal UIGEA Bill passed in 2006 to outlaw US companies from processing online gambling transactions has caused some confusion for Florida gamblers, and just as confusing is the 2011 Department of Justice flip-flop concerning the US government's stance on particular forms of Internet gambling. What you need to know is that neither federal nor Florida gambling laws prohibit United States or Florida residents from enjoying Internet gambling, as long as one important stipulation is met. The website or company you use online that supplies your virtual wagering experience must be officially licensed and regulated outside of the United States. Florida online betting venues include casinos, Florida online horse race betting, online poker rooms, online bingo halls, and Florida online sports betting.

Online Gambling's Black Friday - What it Means for the Industry

You may recall that on April 15, 2011 the three largest Internet poker rooms that served Florida residents, as well as global poker lovers, were shut down on what has become known as Black Friday in the Internet gambling community. But that criminal case (United States v. Scheinberg, 10 Cr. 336) accused those companies of bank fraud and money laundering, and to date not a single Florida or USA resident has been charged or prosecuted for placing a wager online. The laws are in place to protect you and I, and allow us to legally engage in adult online gambling at websites which are licensed, managed and regulated offshore, in Canada, Europe and other non-US jurisdictions. However, just because there are no gambling laws in Florida which specifically outlaw that state's residents from gambling at an offshore casino, sportsbook or poker room, that does not mean every offshore operator is legitimate and trustworthy.

How Do I Identify Online Gambling Sites Operating Legally Within the Industry?

Fl betting laws are in place, as we mentioned above, to protect the state's residents. This is why when you head to an offshore web casino, you should ensure that its certification comes from a reputable and respected online gambling license provider, and a thorough review of that particular operation needs to be undertaken. Online betting laws in Florida provide a lot of freedom and possibility for the responsible adult gambler, and due diligence is a key component to successful and secure online gambling. This guide is very respectful of the law, and only recommends those gambling sites which are verified to be legitimately operating within the industry as licensed and certified operations that are subject to strict regulatory oversight by a respected governing authority.

What is the Deal With Internet Cafes in Florida?

Florida at one time had more than 1,000 Internet cafes which they shut down, after a charity tied to Lt. Governor Jennifer Carroll was accused of running illegal Internet gambling fronts through several of them. In order to quickly quiet the Sunshine State scandal, hasty legislation in the form of CS/HB 0155 was thrown together outlawing all Internet cafés, but accidentally worded to include 'the prohibition of electronic gambling devices.' This could apply to smartphones, desktop, laptop and mobile PCs as well as the physical slot machines it was written to address.

This has caused some Florida residents to mistakenly assume that Internet gambling is illegal in that state on any device, but that bill has been reworded to correct this error. But as we mentioned before, no online betting laws in Florida hamper your freedom to enjoy your favorite type of wager online. Also, since the December 2011 ruling of the DOJ allows each individual state to decide its own online destiny, Florida could join Nevada, New Jersey and Delaware as legally offering online gambling at the state level. If and when this happens we will certainly keep you updated, and that 2011 DOJ ruling is important for another reason. The US federal government decided that poker was a game of skill and not chance, opening the door for possible legalized online poker play in Florida and other states in the future. The state of Florida also offers the ability to legally purchase Florida lottery tickets or tickets for other games online, and not just for US-sponsored lotteries, but also those held around the world.

How do casinos calculate comps. To recap, if Florida gambling laws should change in the future and outlaw Internet access, we will keep you posted. But currently Florida online gambling laws allow adult residents and visitors in that state to enjoy the virtual wagering options of their choosing, as long as they access a website run by a company legally licensed and regulated in non-US jurisdictions.

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