Housie and bingo

Types of housie and bingo

Housie or bingo activities include charity housie, social housie and club bingo however there are some slight differences in how they are played.

Charity housie

Charity housie can only be conducted to raise funds by, or on behalf of, a charitable organisation.

Maximum prize value

The total prize value must not exceed $10,000.

The total prize value must also not exceed 75% of the gross proceeds from the gaming activity.

Maximum number of tickets

A maximum of 48 tickets can be sold to a single participant.

Proceeds

At least 12.5% of the gross proceeds of a charity housie must be paid to the benefiting organisation.

Social housie

Social housie can only be played for social purposes and cannot be conducted on licensed premises.

Maximum prize value

The total prize value for one session of social housie must not exceed $40. The value of a jackpot prize must not exceed $200.

Proceeds

The total proceeds of a session of social housie must be returned to participants, after costs of prizes and permitted expenses.

Club bingo

Club bingo can only be conducted by, or on authority of, a registered club for the purpose of attracting patrons

Maximum prize value

The total prize value for a single game of club bingo can’t exceed $70.

If a bonus prize is offered at the end of a session, only 1 prize valued at no more than $70 may be awarded.

A club bingo prize must not consist of or include money.

Who can play? 

Anyone can play housie or bingo unless they are: 

• conducting the gaming activity, including determining prize winners 

• involved in the management of any benefiting organisation 

Children can participate unless the rules have an age limit. 

Prizes

Prizes can consist of anything, except prohibited prizes.

Prohibited prizes

The following prizes are prohibited: 

• a firearm, ammunition, an imitation firearm or other prohibited weapons as defined by the Weapons Prohibition Act 1998  

• tobacco, smoking or vaping products   

• cosmetic surgery and other procedures falling under Division 1A of Part 3 of the Poisons and Therapeutic Goods Act 1966  

• more than 20 litres of liquor where the alcohol is 20% or less by volume or more than 5 litres of liquor where the alcohol content is more than 20% by volume  

• any other prize that contravenes any other law of this State or the Commonwealth. For example, Charitable Fundraising Act 1991 (NSW) and Gaming Machines Act 2001 (NSW)

Unclaimed prizes 

The rules should outline how an unclaimed prize will be dealt with. 

• If a prize is not claimed within a set period of time it can be forfeited and another draw can take place to determine a new winner. Otherwise, the prize must be kept until it is awarded to the winner. 

• Every reasonable effort must be taken to contact the prize winner. If contact cannot be made, the operator must retain the prize for the duration stated in the rules. 

• Perishable prizes, such as a meat tray, can be disposed of or sold for a reasonable price. The money (after sale or disposal costs) must be held in trust for the winner. 

Prize notification 

You must notify participants of the results and arrange for prizes to be given in accordance with the rules of your gaming activity. 

All prizes must be carefully preserved until they are awarded to the prize winners or until they have been disposed of in accordance with Part 4 of the Community Gaming Regulation 2020. 

If the value of the prize is over $5,000, and the winner requests it, you must pay any amount over $5,000 by electronic funds transfer. 

If the prize winner does not request for payment by electronic transfer, you must pay the amount exceeding $5,000 in a manner as agreed with the prize winner (other than in cash). 

Tickets 

Generally, housie and bingo tickets should contain: 

• the ticket price  

• name of the person or organisation conducting the gaming activity 

• name of the benefiting organisation (if applicable) 

There is no restriction on who can sell tickets in a housie or bingo. 

Changes to the gaming activity 

If there any changes to the rules for a gaming activity, you must take all reasonable steps to notify the participants or make the information publicly available within a reasonable time before the activity takes place. 

Advertising

You must clearly advertise the rules of the gaming activity. This will enable potential participants make an informed decisions about entering.

If you cannot publish the rules in an advertisement or on a ticket, you must state where the rules can be found, such as a website.

Advertising material must not: 

• encourage a breach of the law 

• depict children participating in the gaming activity 

• suggest that winning will be a definite outcome of participating in the gaming activity 

• suggest that participating in the gaming activity will definitely improve a person’s financial prospects 

If you need an authority for your gaming activity, all advertising material must clearly display the authority number.