Jacksonville Ordinance Code tit. XX, ch. 692, pt. 1 — GENERAL PROVISIONS | Jacksonville Ordinance Code (Supp. No. 6, Update 2: codified through Ordinance No. 2026-492-E, enacted July 28, 2026) — City of Jacksonville

Jacksonville Ordinance Code § 692.101 Legislative findings.

Sec. 692.101. - Legislative findings. The Council finds that: (a) F.S. § 849.093 was enacted by the Legislature in order to authorize non-profit and veterans' organizations engaged in charitable, civic, community, benevolent, religious or scholastic works and other similar activities to conduct bingo games and guest games and to donate the entire proceeds derived from these games to these endeavors, thus bringing aid and comfort to the community and its members. (b) F.S. § 849.093(2) prohibits the proceeds from these games from being used for any purpose other than the enumerated purposes whatsoever. (c) F.S. § 849.093(3) authorizes non-profit organizations not involved in the efforts listed above to conduct bingo games and guest games only upon the condition that the entire proceeds be returned to the players in the form of prizes. (d) F.S. § 849.093 contains various other provisions intended to assure that only the non-profit or veterans' organization is involved in and receives the proceeds of these games, but the present law is inadequate to achieve this objective because of a lack of regulatory authority. (e) Monies from bingo games are frequently retained illegally or taken for non-charitable purposes through such ruses as abnormally high rentals or salaries. (f) Arrangements between and among lessors of places where bingo games are conducted, actual or putative non-profit organizations and concessionaires at such games have become commercialized to an extent not contemplated or intended by the Legislature. (g) Effective enforcement of State law regarding bingo games can only be brought about by local regulation of these games to see that the proceeds from the games pass into the hands of legitimate charitable organizations to be used for legitimate charitable purposes. (Ord. 78-1324-661, § 1; Ord. 82-86-25, § 1; Ord. 83-591-400, § 1)

Jacksonville Ordinance Code § 692.102 Definitions.

Sec. 692.102. - Definitions. In this Chapter, unless the context otherwise requires: (a) Actual business expenses means those variable expenses that have a direct bearing on and are necessary to the conduct of a bingo game and related activities, the allocation of which shall be in accordance with generally acceptable accounting practices. (b) Authorized organization means a non-profit organization other than a charitable organization that is entitled under the provisions of F.S. § 849.093(3) to conduct bingo. (c) Bingo or bingo game means a game in which: (1) Each participant must pay a charge and receives one or more bingo cards; (2) The players cover squares as the operator announces a number, a letter or a combination of numbers and letters selected by chance from a receptacle containing objects bearing numbers, letters or combinations of numbers and letters corresponding to the system used for designating the squares on the bingo cards; and (3) A prize is awarded to the winner, who is the player or players first properly covering a predetermined and announced pattern of squares on the bingo card being used by the player or players. (d) Bingo card means the flat, usually rectangular, piece of paper or thin pasteboard marked off into a set of 25 squares arranged in five vertical rows of five squares each, each square being designated by a number, a letter or a combination of numbers and letters. More than one set of numbers may be printed on a single sheet of paper. (e) Charitable organization has the same definition as is given in Section 694.101(a) and also includes veterans' organizations and their auxiliaries. (f) Conviction or convicted includes also an adjudication of guilt on a plea of guilty or nolo contendere, or the forfeiture of a bond, when a person has been charged with a misdemeanor involving theft or illegal gambling or with a felony. (g) Entire or net proceeds means all moneys collected in exchange for the purpose of bingo cards, admissions and related sales, less only actual business expenses. (h) Lease includes a lease, sublease, assignment, rental or agreement to use any premises for the conduct of bingo, other than premises owned by the licensed organization and used by it to conduct bingo for its own benefit. (i) Lessor means a person who or organization which leases, subleases, assigns or rents any premises to be used for the conduct of bingo, or agrees to the use of the premises for the conduct of bingo. (j) Licensed organization means a charitable or authorized organization that has been issued a license under this Chapter. (k) Operator means the charitable organization or authorized organization which conducts a bingo game or a series of bingo games, including but not limited to the following activities: (1) Supply, distribution and collection of bingo cards. (2) Acceptance or collection of money from players for the purpose of participating in a bingo game or a series of bingo games. (3) Distribution of prizes to players. (4) Selecting or announcing numbers, letters or combinations of numbers and letters involved in playing the game of bingo. (l) Owner means the charitable organization or authorized organization which holds legal title to the premises on which a bingo game or a series of bingo games is played. (m) Player means a person who has paid some amount of money to the operator for one or more bingo cards and who has some expectation of receiving a prize if one or more of his bingo cards contains a sufficient number of numbers, letters or combinations of letters and numbers which are the same as those announced by the operator during a bingo game. (n) Premises means an indoor or outdoor area used for the conduct of bingo. (o) Principal officers means the president, vice-president or treasurer, or the organizational officers performing similar duties. (p) Prize means cash or anything of value awarded to a player of a bingo game or players in a series of bingo games. (q) Representative means the person designated by a licensed organization to be responsible for the conduct of bingo games. (Ord. 78-1324-661, § 1; Ord. 82-86-25, § 2; Ord. 83-591-400, § 1)

Jacksonville Ordinance Code § 692.103 Intent.

Sec. 692.103. - Intent. It is the intent of the Council that all phases of the regulation, licensing and supervision of bingo be closely controlled and the law pertaining thereto be strictly construed and rigidly enforced, to the end that commercialization in all its forms be discouraged, participation by criminal and other undesirable elements be prevented and diversion of the proceeds of bingo games from the purposes authorized by F.S. § 849.093 be eliminated. (Ord. 78-1324-661, § 1; Ord. 83-591-400, § 1)