Effective February 1, 2023, the Gaming Online Service system will be updated to require the minimum 10-week (Class A & C) and 10 business day (Class B & D) processing time for charitable event applications as per the Licensed Charitable Gaming Rules.
Effective August 25, 2022, licensees will no longer be permitted to scan and email bingo cards as per Section 10.5 of the Licensed Charitable Gaming Rules. For more information, please contact Gaming.Licensing@gov.bc.ca.
Gambling event licences allow eligible organizations to fundraise by holding a single gambling event or a series of events. Gambling events include raffles, bingos, poker, social occasion casinos, and wheels of fortune. Find out about eligibility requirements and how to apply.
A community group or organization may be eligible to receive a licence to hold a gambling event that earns revenue to benefit charitable or religious programs and services within B.C.
A licence must be applied for in advance of the proposed gambling event. Licensees are responsible for following the Licensed Charitable Gaming Rules (PDF) related to the gambling event and for using the proceeds to support the eligible programs as approved on the licence.
For all information related to eligibility, application submission, classes of licenses, event types and the management and conduct of an event refer to the Licensed Charitable Gaming Rules (PDF).
All applications must be submitted online by using our Online Service.
In some instances, additional information may be requested before a licence can be issued. If approved, the licence will be emailed to the licensee using the email provided in the “Delivery Method” section of the online application.
To assist, step-by-step Guides are available on the Documents & Forms page.
A Service BC office may also assist with the application process in person.
When applying and selecting the event start date, the processing time specific to the class of licence selected should be considered.
If additional information is required to assess an application, the application is considered incomplete until such information is received; this may impact processing time.
Documents and forms related to licensed charitable gambling events are available on the Documents & Forms page.
To check the status of an application, please see the Application Status Reports. If you have questions about your application, you can contact us by using one of the methods listed on the Questions & Contact Information page.