Accounts in Collections
In early February, our office sent accounts that were over 90 days past due to Colorado Central Collection Services (CCS). We will continue to send past-due account to collections on a regular basis, as required by law. If your organization received a letter from CCS, you will need to communicate with that office to clear your account. Contact information for CCS is as follows:
633 17th Street, Suite 1540, Denver, CO 80202
(303) 866-6560
1-800-221-2297
ccscomments@state.co.us
Bingo-Raffle Advisory Board Meeting
We are pleased to welcome Mr. Rick Johnson, the newest member of the Bingo-Raffle Advisory Board. Mr. Johnson is the Games Manager for the Colorado Moose Association and Loyal Order of Moose, Lodge 1548 in Longmont, CO.
Mr. Johnson's first meeting as a Board member will be on April 17, when the Board holds its next gathering. All members of the public are welcome to attend and participate.
Day: Wednesday, April 17
Time: 10:00am-12:00pm
Location: 1700 Broadway, Blue Spruce Room (Second Floor), Denver, CO 80290
Come join the meeting to share your thoughts on bingo and raffle activities in our state, and to see an exciting presentation on the bingo sector from the Runge Consulting Group (see below).
Bingo Market Study
Some of you may have been contacted by the Runge Consulting Group (RCG), a marketing firm with strong roots in Colorado business. Our office retained RCG's services to study the bingo community, and to provide recommendations for improving bingo as a source of funding for Colorado nonprofits.
The consultant team has wrapped up their study, and we plan to have them present their findings at the Bingo-Raffle Advisory Board meeting on April 17 (see above for details). Your input was incredibly valuable throughout the study, and we would welcome additional thoughts at the presentation. Please come to the Board meeting to hear about the ideas generated by the study and the bingo community.
Reminder: First Quarter Reports due April 30
If you hold a current 2013 license, you MUST submit your LE-21 Quarterly Report form by April 30, 2013. The report covers the period for January through March of 2013. Reports filed after this date will be assessed a $50 late filing fine. See below for more news on quarterly report fees. If you have any questions or concerns, contact Lisa Marty at lisa.marty@coloradosos.gov.
Correction
A quick correction to the "Tips" section in our prior newsletter: in Tip #3, we stated that the total of lines 37-47 on your LE-21 form should equal the total on your Schedule A. The tip should have stated that all expenses on lines 37-47 of the LE-21 form should be reflected on your Schedule A. The totals do not have to be equal.
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Charitable Gaming a Boon for Colorado Nonprofits in 2012
Bingo, raffles, and pull tabs were once again an important source of income for Colorado nonprofits in 2012. Colorado residents wagered $115.2 million on charitable games over the course of the year, including $46.5 million in regular and progressive bingo and $56.9 million in pull tabs. Raffles saw the biggest bump, as residents bought almost $13.8 million worth of raffle tickets, an increase of $1.5 million from 2011.
This all adds up to a big deal for nonprofits: over $21.1 million of the money wagered went directly to support these organizations' missions and communities. For a more in-depth look at trends in the bingo/raffle community, take a look at the Charitable Gaming Financial Report (PDF) on our website.
Charitable gaming revenues rose from 2010 to 2012, led mostly by increased raffle activity.
New Bingo-Raffle Rules
Over the past few months, our office has made important revisions to the rules governing charitable gaming in the state. We relied heavily on input from the bingo and raffle community to shape these changes, and we were happy to announce the adoption of these rules on February 6, 2013. The adopted rules will become permanently effective on March 31, 2013.
You can find the notice of adoption, including a statement of basis/purpose and the amended rules, online at https://www.coloradosos.gov/pubs/rule_making/files/2013/20130206_Bingo_NoticeAdoptionStmt.pdf.
The following information is also available online:
Please contact us by email at SoS.Rulemaking@coloradosos.gov if you have questions.
Quarterly Tips: Tracking and Reporting on Raffles
Colorado is heading into raffle season: historically, licensees register more raffle tickets with our office in March and April than at any other time in the year. Raffles are a great way to bring in funding for your organization, and there are many things that you can do to run a legal raffle and submit the correct information to our office.
Here are a few tips:
1. Raffle tickets for "large" raffles (total prizes valued over $1000) must contain very specific information. Take a look at these requirements contained in Bingo and Raffles Rule #8 on our website.
2. If the total retail value of the prizes for a raffle is greater than $1000, you must register a voided copy of the raffle ticket with us before initiating ticket sales. We would suggest filing a draft with us prior to printing tickets so that we can catch any errors and help you correct them before you print the entire set.
3. When filling out your quarterly report forms, if you show revenue for a current raffle, make sure you provide:
a. the raffle date and number of raffles held (line 10 and 11 of the LE-21)
b. prize and payout information (line 32, 33 of the LE-21)
c. prize information (line 35 and 36 of the LE-21)
4. If you have a 50/50 raffle you must show the actual amount of revenue taken in on line 19; line 32 is the amount you paid out (usually 50% of line 19)
Good luck, and happy raffling!
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Fee Changes
In October 2012, our office announced a reduction in all fees for the bingo-raffle community. To date, we estimate that this has saved bingo-raffle licensees, manufacturers, suppliers and landlords over $300,000.
We review fee levels on a quarterly basis to ensure that the funds coming into our office are sufficient to cover our operations, as required by statute. Based on this analysis, we will be reinstating the former fee structure starting on July 1, which is the end of the second quarter of 2013. We are very pleased to have been able to offer reduced quarterly report fees for four full quarters.
Very Important: While the fees to obtain a bingo-raffle license and games manager certification will increase on July 1, 2013, quarterly report fees will not increase until the second quarter filing deadline of July 31, 2013. So, your organization will still pay nothing for its second quarterly report filing as long as you file before the deadline.
We will post additional reminders in this newsletter and on our website, but please feel free to get in touch with any questions in the meantime at 303-894-2200 or licensing@coloradosos.gov.
Games Manager Training
We continue to offer in-person and online Games Manager training courses.Sign up for the online eLearning course on our website.
Call (303-894-2200, ext. 6416) or email darleen.herrera@coloradosos.gov to sign up for one of the in-person classes below. Please include your phone number, organization, and whether you would like to sign up for Bingo and Raffles, or only Raffles. For more information on course dates and locations, follow this link.
You can also sign up to host a Games Manager training course. Follow this link to provide us with a few details about you and your organization, and host a class soon.
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