Hosting a “Casino-Themed” Charity Event in Michigan
In Michigan, there are several ways charities/nonprofits can host a “Casino Night/Vegas Party,” a “casino-themed” fundraising event. They can throw a state-licensed “Millionaires Party,” work with a local charity poker room, or produce their own casino-themed gala/fundraiser.
1. Host your own event
If your group is a registered charity (i.e., 501(c) 3 or similar charitable designation), you can apply to the state for a license to host a Millionaire’s Party (this license will allow you to host a Texas Hold ’em ‘Em Poker Tournament), similar to what can be seen at the summer festivals and events held at many churches across the state. These events are like walking into a “real casino”, where your guests bought their chips, played various games, and then, at the end, “cashed” their chips for money, exchanged them for prizes, etc.
There is a registration fee of fifty dollars ($50.00) per day for this license and you may obtain a license valid for up to four consecutive days. Your group may obtain up to four (4) of these licenses per calendar year. To obtain this license, a large amount of paperwork must be completed and then more post-event paperwork must be submitted to the State. You should start your license application process as soon as possible, as the State currently tells people to allow at least six (6) to eight (8) weeks for processing of their application. And since you must have your license number on all flyers and other promotional materials, you should not advertise your event until you have your license. In addition, you must follow all state rules and regulations related to the operation of this event.
The key to making this a successful fundraiser is that you need your group members and supporters to show up, play the games, and lose money at the games. The more money they lose, the more money their group will earn.
You can visit the State’s website (see website address in Section 2 below) for more information on how to host your event, obtain your license application, and a list of licensed equipment vendors.
2. Work with a local charity poker room
Due to the current popularity of playing Texas Hold ‘Em Poker on television, many charity poker rooms have opened throughout the state in recent years. Many of these rooms have become so popular and have such a following that they are now open seven nights a week.
If there are any charity poker rooms in your area, you may want to check them out. If your group qualifies for a state license, you may want to consider working with them instead of hosting your own event. You will still need to follow all the rules and regulations of this state related to the operation of your event, but the Hall will be able to help you through this process.
The key reason for working with these charity poker rooms is that you really don’t have to worry about your group members and supporters showing up for this type of event to make it a success.
Now comes a paradigm shift…your members and supporters really don’t have to attend this fundraiser for it to be successful! If Charity Poker Rooms is a well-established charity poker room, it will have a group of loyal poker players who will show up and play, no matter who the charity is. Pools that work with these established charity poker rooms can generally expect to earn between $1,000 and $4,000 every four (4) days, which is not too bad of a return on your investment of $200 for your license.
Again, you can visit the State website (http://www.michigan.gov/cg/0,4547,7-111-35016—,00.html) for more information on how to host your event. and get your app license.
3. Host a casino night/Vegas theme party/gala event
Similar to having a traditional “dinner/dance, fundraiser”, instead of having the dance as the featured entertainment for your fundraiser/gala, you would have “just for fun” games.
Your guests would pay a price of admission to attend your event/gala, and for this they would receive some type of refreshment, one (1) ticket at the door price, a predetermined amount of chips or “fun money” and the possibility of participating in “just fun” gaming entertainment.
Then, at the end of the event, your guests would convert all of their “winnings” into additional entrance prize tickets, and you would have drawings for various entrance prizes (and hopefully all of these prizes would have been donated to your group).
The key to remember here is that since the chips have no monetary value and you cannot “buy” additional chips, this is not a “real game” (remember this is just a “just for fun” game) and therefore Therefore, a state license is required. not required.
Also, with these types of events you want to keep the focus on having fun and not on who has won the most. Remember that with everyone entering your event, they received one (1) price of admission ticket, so one person could attend your event, not participate in any of the games, but could still walk away with an entry prize in the end.
And like any traditional fundraiser your organization might run, you can determine how much profit this event will generate, given that you already know all of your fixed costs (i.e., snacks/food, gaming equipment rental, required profit per person , etc.), you simply price the ticket appropriately. In addition, you will be able to capitalize on various additional fundraising opportunities at your event, such as selling game table sponsorships, selling drink specials at the event, etc.