Title 18.2, Title 18.2. Crimes and Offenses Generally

If the owner, lessee, tenant, occupant or other person in control of any place or conveyance, knows, or reasonably should know, that it is being used for illegal gambling, and permits such gambling to continue without having notified a law-enforcement officer of the presence of s…

Any person, firm or association of persons, other than those persons specified in other sections of this article, who knowingly aids, abets or assists in the operation of an illegal gambling enterprise, activity or operation, shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.

A person is guilty of illegal possession of a gambling device when he manufactures, sells, transports, rents, gives away, places or possesses, or conducts or negotiates any transaction affecting or designed to affect ownership, custody or use of any gambling device, believing or …

A. In addition to any other penalty provided by law, any person who conducts, finances, manages, supervises, directs, sells, or owns a gambling device that is located in an unregulated location is subject to a civil penalty of up to $25,000 for each gambling device located in suc…

In any prosecution under this article, no consideration shall be deemed to have passed or been given because of any person's attendance upon the premises of another; his execution, mailing or delivery of an entry blank; his answering of questions, verbally or in writing; his witn…

Nothing in this article shall be construed to prevent any contest of speed or skill between men, animals, fowl or vehicles, where participants may receive prizes or different percentages of a purse, stake or premium dependent upon whether they win or lose or dependent upon their …

Nothing in this article shall be construed to make it illegal to participate in a game of chance conducted in a private residence, provided such private residence is not commonly used for such games of chance and there is no operator as defined in subsection 4 of § 18.2-325.

Nothing in this article shall apply to any bingo game, instant bingo, network bingo, raffle, duck race, or Texas Hold'em poker tournament conducted solely by organizations as defined in § 18.2-340.16 which have received a permit as set forth in § 18.2-340.25, or which are exempt …

Nothing in this article shall apply to: 1. Any lottery conducted by the Commonwealth pursuant to Article 1 (§ 58.1-4000 et seq.) of Chapter 40 of Title 58.1; 2. Any sports betting or related activity that is lawful under Article 2 (§ 58.1-4030 et seq.) of Chapter 40 of Title 58.1…

Nothing in this article shall be construed to make it illegal to participate in any race meeting or pari-mutuel wagering conducted in accordance with Chapter 29 (§ 59.1-364 et seq.) of Title 59.1.

Nothing in this article shall be construed to make it illegal to participate in any casino gaming operation conducted in accordance with Chapter 41 (§ 58.1-4100 et seq.) of Title 58.1.

A. As used in this section: "Amusement device" means a game that is activated by a coin, token, or other object of consideration or value and that does not provide the opportunity to (i) enter into a sweepstakes, lottery, or other illegal gambling event or (ii) receive any form o…

No witness called by the Commonwealth or by the court, giving evidence either before the grand jury or in any prosecution under this article, shall ever be prosecuted for the offense being prosecuted concerning which he testifies. Such witness shall be compelled to testify and fo…

If it shall come to the knowledge of the Governor that § 18.2-331 is not being enforced in any county, city or town, the Governor may call upon the Attorney General to direct its enforcement in such county, city or town, and thereupon the Attorney General may instruct the attorne…

Whenever any person shall be engaged in committing, or in permitting to be committed, or shall be about to commit, or permit, any act prohibited by any one or more of the sections in this article, the attorney for the Commonwealth of the county or city in which such act is being,…

The governing body of any county may adopt ordinances prohibiting illegal gambling, including a provision for forfeiture proceedings in accordance with Chapter 22.1 (§ 19.2-386.1 et seq.) of Title 19.2. Such ordinances shall not conflict with the provisions of this article or wit…

A. Charitable gaming as authorized herein shall be permitted in the Commonwealth as a means of funding qualified organizations but shall be conducted only in strict compliance with the provisions of this article. The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is vested with …

As used in this article, unless the context requires a different meaning: "Bingo" means a specific game of chance played with (i) individual cards having randomly numbered squares ranging from one to 75, (ii) Department-approved electronic devices that display facsimiles of bingo…

The Department shall have all powers and duties necessary to carry out the provisions of this article and to exercise the control of charitable gaming as set forth in § 18.2-340.15. Such powers and duties shall include the following: 1. The Department is vested with jurisdiction …

A. The Department shall adopt regulations that: 1. Require, as a condition of receiving a charitable gaming permit or authorization to conduct electronic gaming, that the applicant use a predetermined percentage of its receipts for those lawful religious, charitable, community, o…

A. The Department may deny, suspend, or revoke the permit to conduct charitable gaming or the authorization to conduct electronic gaming of any organization found not to be in strict compliance with the provisions of this article and Department regulations. The action of the Depa…

A. This article permits qualified organizations to conduct (i) raffles, bingo, network bingo, instant bingo games, and Texas Hold'em poker tournaments and (ii) electronic gaming authorized pursuant to the provisions of § 18.2-340.26:3. All games not explicitly authorized by this …

A. No organization that reasonably expects, on the basis of prior charitable gaming annual results or any other quantifiable method, to realize gross receipts of $40,000 or less in any 12-month period from raffles conducted in accordance with the provisions of this article shall …

A. To be eligible for a permit to conduct charitable gaming, an organization shall: 1. Have been in existence and met on a regular basis in the Commonwealth for a period of at least three years immediately prior to applying for a permit. The three-year residency requirement shall…

A. Any organization seeking to conduct charitable gaming in accordance with subsection B of § 18.2-340.23 shall first register with the Department on a form prescribed by the Department. The Department shall only require the organization to provide (i) proof of the organization's…

A. Except as provided for in § 18.2-340.23, prior to the commencement of any charitable game, an organization shall obtain a permit from the Department. B. All complete applications for a permit shall be acted upon by the Department within 45 days from the filing thereof. Upon co…

A. In addition to a charitable gaming permit, a social organization shall receive authorization from the Department prior to conducting any electronic gaming pursuant to the provisions of § 18.2-340.26:3. A social organization may request such authorization from the Department by…

A. Any qualified organization described in subdivision 4 or 5 of the definition of "organization" in § 18.2-340.16 may obtain a temporary permit from the Department allowing such organization to sell instant bingo, pull tabs, or seal cards upon premises located anywhere in the Co…

A. Except as provided in subsection B, a qualified organization may sell raffle tickets both in and out of the jurisdiction designated in its permit and shall conduct the drawing within the Commonwealth. B. A qualified organization may sell raffle tickets for a raffle drawing whi…

A. Except as provided in subsection D, instant bingo, pull tabs, or seal cards may be sold only (i) by a qualified organization, as defined in § 18.2-340.16, (ii) upon premises that are owned or exclusively and entirely leased by the qualified organization or leased by the qualif…

As a part of its annual fundraising event, any qualified organization may sell instant bingo, pull tabs, or seal cards, provided that (i) any such instant bingo, pull tabs, or seal cards are dispensed by mechanical equipment only; (ii) the sale of the same is limited to a single …

A. The Department may authorize a social organization to conduct electronic gaming (i) within its social quarters and (ii) elsewhere on the premises of its primary location. Any such authorized social organization may lease its premises to any qualified organization for the purpo…

A. A qualified organization shall accept only cash or, at its option, checks or debit cards in payment of any charges or assessments for players to participate in bingo games. However, no such organization shall accept postdated checks in payment of any charges or assessments for…

A. Any organization qualified to conduct bingo games pursuant to the provisions of this article may also play instant bingo, network bingo, pull tabs, or seal cards; however, such games shall be played only at such times designated in the permit for regular bingo games and only a…

A. Any organization qualified to conduct bingo games pursuant to the provisions of this article may also sell network bingo cards; however, network bingo shall be sold only at such times designated in the permit for regular bingo games and only at locations at which the organizat…

A. Any organization qualified to conduct bingo games on or after July 1, 2019, may conduct Texas Hold'em poker tournaments; however, no such organization may conduct individual Texas Hold'em poker games. The Commissioner shall promulgate regulations establishing circumstances und…

A. Any two or more qualified organizations may jointly organize and conduct bingo games provided both have fully complied with all other provisions of this article. B. Any two or more qualified organizations jointly conducting such games shall be (i) subject to the same restricti…

A. 1. Each qualified organization shall keep a complete record of all: a. Inventory of charitable gaming supplies purchased. b. Receipts from its charitable gaming operation, including a breakdown of receipts attributable to each type of game offered. c. Electronic gaming adjuste…

A. Each electronic gaming manufacturer that holds a permit issued by the Department pursuant to § 18.2-340.34 shall keep a complete record of all electronic gaming adjusted gross receipts and shall file at least annually, on a form prescribed by the Department, a report of all su…

A. All reports filed pursuant to §§ 18.2-340.30 and 18.2-340.30:2 shall be subject to audit by the Department in accordance with Department regulations. The Department may engage the services of independent certified public accountants to perform any audits deemed necessary to fu…

In addition to those other practices prohibited by this article, the following acts or practices are prohibited: 1. No part of the gross receipts or electronic gaming adjusted gross receipts derived by a qualified organization may be used for any purpose other than (i) gaming exp…

A. No person shall offer to sell, sell, or otherwise provide charitable gaming supplies to any qualified organization and no manufacturer shall distribute electronic gaming devices for charitable gaming in the Commonwealth unless and until such person has made application for and…

A. No person shall receive remuneration as a bingo manager or caller from any qualified organization unless and until such person has made application for and has been issued a registration certificate by the Department. Application for registration shall be made on forms prescri…

A. No person shall sell or offer to sell or otherwise provide access to a network bingo network to any qualified organization unless and until such person has made application for and has been issued a license by the Department. An application for license shall be made on forms p…

The Department of State Police shall assist in the conduct of investigations by the Department.

A. When any officer charged with the enforcement of the charitable gaming laws of the Commonwealth has reasonable cause to believe that the conduct of charitable gaming is being conducted by an organization in violation of this article or Department regulations, he may apply to a…