Constitution of Arkansas (2025 publisher edition) — Amendment 84: [AUTHORIZED BINGO OR RAFFLES].

Publisher edition notice: This collection preserves the complete constitutional appendix of the Secretary of State’s 2025 Election Laws and Constitution compilation: its preamble, twenty original articles, schedule and 104 published amendments, including annotations and explicit repealed notices. Repealed notices remain historical publisher context. Later amendments have not been independently verified.

Amendment 84

AMEND. 84. [AUTHORIZED BINGO OR RAFFLES].
(a) As used in this section:
(1) “Authorized bingo and raffles organization” means a nonprofit tax-exempt religious,
educational, veterans, fraternal, service, civic, medical, volunteer rescue service, volunteer
firefighters organization, or volunteer police organization that has been in continuing existence
as a nonprofit tax-exempt organization in this state for a period of not less than five (5) years
immediately prior to conducting the game of bingo or raffles;
(2)(A) “Game of bingo” means a single game of the activity commonly known as “bingo” in
which the participants pay a sum of money for the use of one (1) or more bingo cards.
(B) “Game of bingo” shall include only games in which the winner receives a preannounced,
fixed-dollar prize and in which the winner is determined by the matching of letters and
numbers on a bingo card imprinted with at least twenty-four (24) numbers, with letters and
numbers appearing on objects randomly drawn and announced by a caller, in contemporaneous
competition among all players in the game; and
(3) “Raffle” means the selling of tickets or chances to win a prize awarded through a random
drawing.
(b)(1) The game of bingo or raffles conducted by an authorized bingo and raffles organization
shall not be a lottery prohibited by Section 14 of Article 19 of the Arkansas Constitution if all net
receipts over and above the actual cost of conducting the game or raffle are used only for
charitable, religious, or philanthropic purposes.
(2) No receipts shall be used to compensate in any manner any person who works for or is in
any way affiliated with the authorized bingo and raffles organization.
(c) The General Assembly shall provide by law for the licensure and regulation of authorized
bingo and raffles organizations to conduct the game or bingo or raffles and may levy taxes on the
activities.
Publisher’s Notes. This amendment was proposed by
H.J.R. 1003 during the 2005 Regular Session and adopted
at the November 2006 general election by a vote of 503,216
for and 226,844 against.
Effective Dates.
Ark. Const. Amend. 84, § 2: Jan. 1, 2007.