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June 1992 — 2025
The licensed small game: Alongside the state lottery, Indiana law has long allowed a second, smaller tier of legal chance: charity gaming, in which qualified nonprofit organizations — religious, charitable, fraternal, veterans', civic, and educational bodies holding federal tax exemption — may conduct bingo, raffles, charity game nights, and the sale of pull tabs, punchboards, and tip boards, each under license. The Department of Revenue was given enforcement of the charity gaming laws in June 1992; the system now sits with the Indiana Gaming Commission under Indiana Code Title 4, Article 32.3, most recently amended by Senate Bill 108 (Public Law 111, signed April 30, 2025), which among other changes authorized electronic raffles and, from January 1, 2026, limited any one facility to hosting bingo or casino-game nights on no more than three days a week. In South Bend this tier is the parish hall, the school fundraiser, and the veterans' post — a standing feature of the city's associational life that enters the written record at size only when it is licensed, reported, or disciplined.
The one discipline on the record: The Gaming Commission's published disciplinary actions hold exactly one South Bend entry at that size. Under cause number CG-DA-2013-36, American Legion Post #303 of South Bend settled with the Commission for $5,000, ordered September 17, 2013, on violations stated in the Commission's own summary: operators not on license; conducting gaming without a license; and failure to maintain accurate records. No South Bend bingo raid, bingo prosecution, or charity-gaming lawsuit appears in the press or regulatory record reached beyond this order; the city's bingo record, as documented, is a licensing regime and one $5,000 settlement, and it is printed at that size.
Sources:
- Indiana Department of Revenue, Charity Gaming Report (October 1, 2000) — the June 1992 assignment of charity gaming enforcement and the license types.
- Indiana Gaming Commission / Indiana Code Title 4, Article 32.3 — the current charity gaming framework; Senate Bill 108 (2025), Public Law 111 — the electronic-raffle authorization and the three-day facility limit from January 1, 2026.
- Indiana Gaming Commission, "2013 Charity Gaming Disciplinary Actions" — CG-DA-2013-36, American Legion Post #303 (South Bend), settlement of $5,000 ordered September 17, 2013, violations as stated.