The Growth and Impact of Charitable Gaming in Florida on Local Communities and Non-Profit Organizations
By Space Coast Daily // January 25, 2023
Non-profit organizations and charities are constantly looking at newer, more innovative ways to raise money.
Talking up their causes can work for some people, but sometimes they have to get creative to meet their fundraising goals for the year.
One of the ways that non-profits in Florida look to raise more money is by leveraging the popularity of gaming and casino games.
With games such as online bingo hugely popular among Floridians and other Americans, there is no doubt that hosting a bingo night or having a raffle event can make all the difference for these charities.
Below is a look at how non-profits benefit from charity gaming and how such events convince Floridians to donate more money than ever before.
The Lottery
Americans love to play the lottery, with millions of people buying tickets each time a new lottery starts.
When the prize pool becomes so enormous that it reaches the billions, even more people want to play as they hope to become the lucky person who wins it all.
Even though most people who play the lottery do not emerge as winners, charitable organizations most definitely benefit. Florida is no exception in this area, with the state giving a significant chunk of its lottery profits to these organizations every year.
Aside from charities, lottery proceeds also go towards education and other public projects. Non-profits arguably benefit the most, given they are getting an extra influx of cash that did not even come directly from peoples’ donations.
Bingo Nights
Another way they can make a lot of money in a short space of time is by holding a bingo night.
With Florida having such a large population of seniors, the game is even more popular in this part of the US. Bingo halls may not be as frequently seen as they are in England, but you can always search around for bingo events taking place at other venues.
Most of the time, the hosts of those bingo nights are charities and NPOs.
They get to host an event that everyone in the community enjoys, while they also get a huge chunk of the money raised from such events.
While each person who attends a bingo event may only pay a modest fee to play, adding up those numbers can lead to a lot of money.
The charity can also set up locations within the hall where the event is happening, where their staff talk to attendees about their charity in the hopes of getting donations.
Special Gaming Events
There are other examples of gaming events that can be beneficial for charities. Auctions are often held as they look to raise money for specific projects that may benefit the local community.
If a charity hosts an auction, they can likely get the items for that auction donated from other organizations.
That means they do not have to pay very much money to host the event, aside from renting a venue and taking care of the food and drink for the guests.
All the rest of the money they earn from the auction, which is usually a great deal when they can manage to get wealthy people to attend, goes to charity.
A Boon for Charities
Being an employee at one of these foundations means having a creative mind for organizing events.
By coming up with innovative ways to raise money, charities can ensure they have the funds necessary to impact their local communities.
Leveraging games is one way they are raising more money in Florida than in the past. Hosting bingo nights, auctions, and other events can be a boon for any organization.
Many are also partnering with online gamers, such as the ones who play video games for an audience on Twitch or Facebook Gaming.
Streamers can set up a special charity stream, where they are taking donations from their viewers, and then send the proceeds directly to the charity they are sponsoring.