Bingo law in the United States is set state by state, and in Alabama and Maryland county by county, so the age and prize rules change when you cross a state line. The table below covers the 31 states we have guides for and shows three things for each: who regulates bingo, the minimum age to play and the main prize limit. Where a state sets a flat minimum age it runs from 16 in Missouri to 21 in Nevada, with 18 the most common, and in a few states there is no statewide minimum or we found none. Last checked: October 2026. A hall’s own rules can be stricter than state law, and this page is general information, not legal advice, so check the official source or ask the hall.
Bingo Rules by State: Comparison Table
| State | Who regulates bingo | Minimum age to play | Main prize limit | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | No state bingo commission; county or city, under local constitutional amendments | Set county by county; for example 19 in Jefferson, Madison and Greene counties, and under 19 only with a parent or guardian in Montgomery, Mobile, Etowah, Walker and Houston counties | Set county by county; for example $1,000 a session in Madison County and $10,000 a session in Greene County | County bingo amendments to the Alabama Constitution |
| Arizona | Arizona Department of Revenue, Bingo Section | 18 at state-licensed games | $1,000 a game, $3,000 an occasion at state-licensed games | Arizona Department of Revenue |
| California | Cities and counties; there is no statewide charity bingo license | Minors may not take part; charity halls that post an age say 18 | $500 in cash or kind for each game | California Penal Code section 326.5 |
| Colorado | Colorado Secretary of State | 18 to buy cards or pull tabs; halls set their own rules for children playing cards an adult bought | $15,000 in total prizes at one occasion | Colorado Secretary of State |
| Florida | State law, Florida Statutes section 849.0931; our guide names no state agency | 18 | $50 for most games, $250 for a jackpot | Florida Statutes section 849.0931 |
| Georgia | Georgia Secretary of State | Under 18 only with an adult | $6,000 a week for each licensee since July 1, 2026; we found no separate cap on a single game or session | Georgia Secretary of State |
| Illinois | Illinois Department of Revenue | 18; under 18 may be in the bingo area with a parent or guardian but may not play | $500 a game, $2,250 a session ($3,250 a session in parts of the Metro East) | Illinois Department of Revenue |
| Indiana | Indiana Gaming Commission, Charity Gaming Division | 18 | $1,000 a game ($2,000 for a progressive game), $6,000 an event | Indiana Gaming Commission |
| Iowa | Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing (DIAL) | No statewide minimum in the law and rules we read; halls post their own, and several require 18 | $250 in cash a game, or merchandise worth up to $950 | Iowa DIAL |
| Kentucky | Office of Charitable Gaming, Kentucky Horse Racing and Gaming Corporation | 18; under 18 only for noncash prizes worth $10 or less, with a parent or legal guardian | $5,000 for each charity in any 24 hours, door prizes included | Kentucky Office of Charitable Gaming |
| Louisiana | Louisiana Office of Charitable Gaming, part of the Department of Revenue | None in state law for charity bingo; 18 for video bingo machines; a hall may set its own rule | $4,500 a session; progressive jackpots are extra | Louisiana Revised Statutes 4:714 |
| Maryland | No state bingo agency; each county, under Criminal Law Article Title 13 | No statewide rule; the county or the hall sets it | No statewide cap; each county sets its own, for example $500 a game and $1,000 a jackpot in Harford County | Maryland General Assembly, Title 13 |
| Massachusetts | Massachusetts State Lottery Commission, Charitable Gaming Division | 18; nobody younger may be in the room during play | $100 a regular game, $500 a special game, $3,000 for a progressive jackpot | Massachusetts General Laws chapter 10, section 38 |
| Michigan | Michigan Lottery, Charitable Gaming division | 18 | $1,100 a game and $3,500 a session on a large annual license; $300 on a small annual license | Michigan Lottery |
| Minnesota | Minnesota Gambling Control Board | 18 at licensed games; younger only at exempt or excluded games, or at an annual community event with a parent or guardian | $500 a game; cover-all prizes up to $2,000 in total an occasion | Minnesota Gambling Control Board |
| Missouri | Missouri Gaming Commission, Charitable Games Division | 16; under 16 may be in the room only with a parent or guardian | $3,600 a day under Commission rules, not counting pull-tabs and progressive games | Revised Statutes of Missouri 313.040 |
| Nevada | Nevada Gaming Control Board and Nevada Gaming Commission | 21, at casinos and at charity bingo | We found no per-game cap in the state rules; casinos post their own payouts, and a charity without a gaming license may offer no more than $500,000 in total prizes a year | Nevada Revised Statutes chapter 463 |
| New Jersey | Legalized Games of Chance Control Commission; the town issues the license | 18; under 18s are not allowed in the bingo room | $1,000 a game, $3,000 an occasion, as published by the Commission | Legalized Games of Chance Control Commission |
| New York | New York State Gaming Commission; the city, town or village clerk licenses | 18; under 18 may be in the room but may not play | $5,000 a game, $15,000 an occasion | New York State Gaming Commission |
| North Carolina | Alcohol Law Enforcement Division, North Carolina Department of Public Safety | None set in the bingo law we read; halls set their own | $500 a game, $1,500 a session ($2,500 where only one session is held that week) | NC Alcohol Law Enforcement |
| Ohio | Ohio Attorney General, Charitable Law Section | 18 | $6,000 a session in traditional bingo prizes | Ohio Attorney General |
| Oklahoma | Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement (ABLE) Commission | Under 18 may play with a parent or guardian, if the organization running the game permits it | $6,000 a session; the ABLE Commission may raise it to as much as $12,000 for an individual licensee | Oklahoma Charity Games Act |
| Oregon | Oregon Department of Justice, Charitable Activities Section | No card sales to anyone under 18 unless a parent or legal guardian is there to witness the sale | Limits are set by Department of Justice rules, and our guide gives no dollar figure; each hall must post its prizes | Oregon Department of Justice |
| Pennsylvania | County treasurers, under the state Bingo Law; no state bingo agency | Under 18 only with an adult | $500 a game, $4,000 a jackpot game, $8,000 a day | Pennsylvania Bingo Law |
| South Carolina | South Carolina Department of Revenue (SCDOR) | None set by the state that we could find; each hall makes its own rule | By license class: $8,000 a session at a Class B game; $20 a game plus up to six $150 jackpots at a Class C game | South Carolina Department of Revenue |
| Tennessee | Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Charitable Solicitations and Gaming | 18 at a charity bingo event, under the state statute | $1,000 a game at a once-a-year charity event, under Department of State rules | Tennessee Secretary of State |
| Texas | Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, Charitable Bingo Operations Division | Under 18 only with a parent or guardian; a hall may bar under 18s by posted notice | $5,000 in total for one occasion; the Act no longer sets a per-game limit | Texas Bingo Enabling Act |
| Virginia | Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) | No flat state minimum; under 18 may play with a parent or legal guardian | $100 a game, with up to 10 games a session at $200; $1,000 in jackpots a session | VDACS |
| Washington | Washington State Gambling Commission | 18; under 18 with an adult parent, grandparent, spouse or court-appointed guardian | We found no general dollar cap in the state bingo rules; each licensed hall must post its prizes before cards are sold | Washington State Gambling Commission |
| West Virginia | West Virginia Tax Division, under the State Tax Commissioner | 18 to play; under 18 may attend with an adult relative or legal guardian | $10,000 an occasion as an average over the license period, so a single session may pay more | West Virginia Tax Division |
| Wisconsin | Office of Charitable Gaming, Wisconsin Department of Administration | 18, unless an adult relative or guardian is in the building | $500 a game, $2,500 a session; progressive jackpots are outside those caps | Wisconsin Department of Administration |
States Where the Rules Are Different
- Tennessee has no weekly bingo halls. Bingo for money is legal there only as a once-a-year charity event approved by the state, so our guide lists the nearest games across the state line.
- Maryland has no state bingo agency. Each county licenses bingo and sets its own prize limits, and the county or the hall sets the minimum age, so the rules change at every county line.
- Alabama has no statewide bingo law. Bingo for money is legal only in a county or city covered by a local amendment to the state constitution, and the age and prize rules are set county by county.
- Nevada treats bingo mainly as a casino game, under the Nevada Gaming Control Board and the Nevada Gaming Commission. The age is 21, at casinos and at charity bingo alike.
- Massachusetts calls the game Beano in its law. It is the same game, licensed by the State Lottery Commission, and nobody under 18 may be in the room during play.
- California has no statewide charity bingo license. Cities and counties license the games, though state law sets the $500 cap for each game and bars minors.
- South Carolina sets its prize limits by license class, for example $8,000 a session at a Class B game and $20 a game at a Class C game. In West Virginia the $10,000 figure is an average over the license period, not a cap on any one session.
Tribal and Casino Bingo
Tribal bingo halls are not licensed under state charity bingo rules, as our state guides note, so the ages and prize limits in the table do not describe them. Each tribal hall sets its own age and prize rules, and the answer can differ from the state’s: in Arizona, state-licensed games are 18, while one tribal casino there lists bingo as 21 and up. Our guides list tribal halls in Arizona, Minnesota, New York and Oregon, among other states. Nevada is a separate case, because casino bingo there runs under the state’s own gaming regulators with a minimum age of 21.
Canada
This page covers the United States only; for Canada, see our bingo rules by province page. We also have guides to bingo halls in Ontario, Alberta and Prince Edward Island.
Bingo Rules FAQ
What is the usual minimum age to play bingo?
In the states we cover, 18 is the most common rule. Eleven of the 31 states in the table set 18 with no exception that lets a younger person play: Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Tennessee and West Virginia, and California bars minors. Missouri sets 16 and Nevada sets 21, and for Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina and South Carolina there is no statewide minimum or we found none.
Which states let children play bingo with a parent?
In the states we cover, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Oklahoma let someone under 18 play with a parent, guardian or other adult, in Oklahoma only if the organization running the game permits it, and Oregon allows a card sale to someone under 18 when a parent or legal guardian witnesses it. Washington and Wisconsin set 18 but make an exception for a child with an adult family member or guardian, Kentucky allows it only for noncash prizes worth $10 or less, and Minnesota only at exempt or excluded games or an annual community event. Five Alabama county amendments let someone under 19 play with a parent or guardian. A hall can still say no, so ask before you bring a child.
Which states have the highest and lowest bingo prize limits?
The limits use different units, so they do not line up neatly. In the states we cover, the lowest per-game figures in the table are $20 at a South Carolina Class C game and $50 for most games in Florida, and the highest is $5,000 a game in New York. Among statewide limits on a whole session or occasion, the table runs from $1,500 a session in North Carolina to $15,000 an occasion in Colorado and New York; Michigan’s small annual license is lower, with a $300 prize limit. For Nevada we found no per-game cap in the state rules and for Washington no general dollar cap, which is not the same as saying there is none.
Who regulates bingo in each state?
It differs in every state we cover. A revenue or tax office does it in Arizona, Illinois, Louisiana, South Carolina and West Virginia; a gaming or gambling commission or board in Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, Nevada, New York and Washington; the Secretary of State in Colorado, Georgia and Tennessee; and the state lottery in Massachusetts and Michigan. Alabama and Maryland have no state bingo agency, California leaves licensing to cities and counties, and in Pennsylvania the county treasurers issue the licenses.
Do tribal bingo halls follow state bingo rules?
No. Tribal bingo halls are not licensed under the state charity bingo rules in this table, so the ages and prize limits here do not describe them. The Arizona row, for example, gives 18 and $1,000 a game for state-licensed games only. Tribal halls set their own age and prize rules, so ask the hall.
Can a bingo hall be stricter than state law?
Yes. The table shows the state rule, and a hall can set a tighter one. In Texas a hall may bar under 18s by posted notice even though state law lets them play with a parent or guardian, and in Colorado each hall sets its own rule for children playing cards an adult bought. In Iowa, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina and South Carolina, where there is no statewide minimum age or we found none, the hall’s own rule, or the county’s in Maryland, is the one that counts.
Is this legal advice?
No. This page is general information drawn from our state guides, last checked in October 2026. For anything that matters to you, check the official source linked in the table or ask the hall.
More bingo guides
Also see the bingo hall directory, bingo payout calculator and Canada bingo rules pages, or browse the full bingo hall directory.