A Message from the Secretary

I am honored to serve as Colorado’s 39th Secretary of State. I wanted to write a little note introducing myself. I grew up in Estes Park in a working-class family. I was the first person in my family to go to a four-year college and then on to law school. I also grew up playing bingo and know how much Bingo and Raffle can mean to a community. In fact, when I was in 8th grade a local non-profit helped me go to Washington, DC by hosting a bingo to raise money. Having just been elected as Colorado Secretary of State, I am sure you can see what a lasting impact that trip had on me. I am thankful that the bingo-raffle community helped me find my passion for public service. I won't forget my roots and hope that we can be partners in Colorado’s success for years to come!

Online Filing Required for Manufacturer and Supplier Agent Licenses

For 2019 licenses, Manufacturer and Supplier Agent license applications are now required to be submitted electronically, but only after the Manufacturer or Supplier the agent represents has renewed their 2019 license online. On January 23, information for accessing the system for renewals was sent to each current agent with an e-mail address on file. This notice included a training guide which is available on our website, here for Manufacturer Agent, and here for Supplier Agent renewals. Agent licenses can be renewed any time after February 1st for the 2019 license year, (but again, only after their represented Manufacturer or Supplier has renewed). If you have any questions or concerns about creating the account or accessing the system, or did not receive this e-mail, please contact Shannon Bee at 303 894 2200 x 6406. New agent applicants can also access the system for the initial submission of the application and creation of your online account here.

E-Filing a Bingo-Raffle License Renewal

Please remember, before conducting bingo-raffle activities in 2019, your organization must hold a current 2019 Bingo-Raffle license. Our office encourages groups to file online. If renewing online, the licensee needs to access their online account and use the “renew” link on their account’s summary page. Please do not create a new account as this will result in unnecessary rejections and re-submissions on your part, due to you already having an existing account.

When filing online, we currently only accept credit or debit cards. ACH or direct transfer of funds from your accounts is not available at this time. A personal card can be used (we do not retain any card information once the submission is made to our office), and then reimbursed from the bingo-raffle account (we will need adequate descriptions on the schedule A regarding this "loan"). You may also use a prepaid card, loaded with the appropriate amount to cover the payment.

Charitable gaming – Net Profitability

Games Manager Training

Your organization must have at least one certified Games Manager in order to run charitable games. We recommend licensees maintain more than one Games Manager. To support this, we offer in-person and online Games Manager training courses.

Sign up for the online eLearning course on our website.

For in-person classes, visit our Games Manager Training page and follow the instructions to sign up for a scheduled class.

The dates/times/places of upcoming Games Manager training classes follow:

Saturday, February 23, 2019 at 8:30 AM Latigo Equestrian and Event Facility, 13710 Halleluiah Trail, Elbert, CO 80106 (upstairs community room).

Saturday, March 2, 2019 at 8:30 AM. FO Eagles 1187, 612 Main St, Walsenburg, CO 81089.

Saturday, April 13, 2019 at 9:00 AM. IO Odd Fellows 116, 860 Hwy 92, Delta, CO 81416.

Saturday, May 11, 2019 at 8:30 AM. Associated Veterans of Loveland, 305 N Cleveland, Loveland, CO 80537.

Saturday, June 22, 2019 at 8:00 AM. American Legion 22, 11081 Irma Dr, Northglenn, CO 80233.

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.

The Games Manager mail-in certification exam is no longer available.

Investigator Tips

Each quarter, we include a few tips from our Bingo/Raffle Investigators. They gather a lot of information in the field on where licensees have trouble complying with the law. By sharing this information, we hope that licensees can better serve their customers.

A MESSAGE FROM THE INVESTIGATORS:

We want to remind all the licensees conducting a progressive raffle that the

• Consolation prize is based on that days proceeds for the raffle, not the entire jackpot amount. We have seen a couple of instances where a licensee has been paying out a percentage of the accumulated jackpot.
• Rule 8.4.2(g) states that a consolation prize may be given if the winning ticket purchaser does not select the Jackpot Prize Card as either a specified amount or a specified percentage of the gross proceeds collected for the sale of raffle tickets for a particular drawing. Not the entire jackpot.
• Please also note that secondary jackpots are not allowed for progressive jackpot raffles. Secondary jackpots only apply to progressive jackpot bingo games.

You can access all bingo/raffle laws using our Bingo-Raffles Law Handbook.

The Future is Here-Online Filing made Simple, Quick and Affordable

Over the past five years, our office has been working diligently to provide an online option for the vast majority of Bingo-Raffle transaction types. Our office encourages a migration from paper filing to online filing. There are several benefits to using online versus paper filing options.

• Enjoy a .5% discounted filing fee or all filings submitted online
• Eliminate mail time – and the risk of being fined even though the “check’s in the mail”
  • Once submitted to the queue via online, and prior to the quarterly due date, you cannot be fined for late filing
• Less data entry required of our staff equals more time supporting you in other meaningful ways
• Online submission offers a preview feature to double and triple-check your submissions, providing a means to eliminate unnecessary rejects and re-submissions
• With a single –organization-wide email address, you can eliminate having to revert to paper upon the departure of staff
  • Use our online training manual to bring your newest team members up to speed.
  • Keep filing online – and keep enjoying the benefits of it.

The future really is here and we are excited for each of you to benefit from its arrival – File Online and see the benefits…. It really is as easy as 1, 2, 3…

1. Create an account.
2. Logon and file.
3. Start saving... Time, money, and headaches.

And remember, our highly trained and dedicated staff are here to support you in any way you may need – just as they are today for your paper submissions.