bingo jackpot

[peachypat]

just wanted to know something-we are a small bingo group of 80 people,which are members of a social club at which we play bingo once a week.the snowball jackpot accumulates each week if its not claimed in a certain amount of numbers.-someone came in to say we might be in trouble cos it now amounts to £1015 in total of which £115 would be house prize if jackpot is not claimed.

[R1Geezer]

why would you be in trouble?

This is common urban mythery, if it helps there is no cash limit to the size of prizes accumulated in this fashion.

[Buenchico]

As long as all stakes are returned as prizes there is no limit on the value of stakes or the size of prizes.

However the retention of any stake money (e.g. as a way of raising funds to support the aims of the club) would be in contravention of the exemption which applies to clubs with more than 25 members (established for purposes other than gaming) under the Gaming Act 1968. (If some of the stake money is retained the club would need to be registered in the same way that, say, Mecca Bingo is).

Chris