Guidelines For Conducting Bonus Ball Bingo Games

Bonus ball, also referred to as cash ball and the pickle jar, is a special bingo game played in conjunction with one or more regular and/or special bingo games that have been designated by the licensed authorized organization on its application for bingo license and on its bingo program as “Bonus Ball Games” and in which a “Bonus Ball Prize” is awarded to the player acquiring the designated winning bingo pattern when the last number called and marked by that player is identical to the “Bonus Ball Number”:

Ø     Bonus ball may be conducted during single occasions, and during each occasion of multiple occasion bingo sessions known as Double Headers and Triple Headers, provided the licensed authorized organization follows all of the guidelines described herein related to the determination of the Bonus Ball Number, the sale of opportunities to enroll in bonus ball and the establishment and awarding, or carrying-over, of the Bonus Ball Prize.

Ø     The Bonus Ball Number for each occasion is determined by the bingo caller’s drawing of a bingo ball from the receptacle; the caller’s announcement that the ball drawn is the Bonus Ball Number for that occasion only; the prominent posting of the Bonus Ball Number in an area of the bingo premises visible to the majority of players; and the immediate return of that ball to the receptacle. The Bonus Ball Number must be determined, announced and prominently posted prior to the start of the first bingo game in each occasion.

Ø     To be eligible to participate in bonus ball, each player must pay a fee for that opportunity prior to the start of the first bingo game in an occasion wherein bonus ball will be played. To verify payment, the player is issued a bonus ball receipt unique to that occasion, or some similar method of verifying payment is used, such as either stamping the player’s hand with ink, or indelibly marking their bingo cards to reflect payment.

Ø     The fee for an opportunity to participate in bonus ball, which cannot exceed one dollar, entitles each participating player to compete in all bingo games conducted during an occasion that are specified as bonus ball games in the authorized organization’s application for bingo license, and on its bingo program.

Ø     All sales of opportunities to play bonus ball must cease prior to the caller’s announcement of the total amount collected from the sale of opportunities to participate in bonus ball and the amount of the bonus ball prize,  announcements that must be made at least fifteen minutes prior to the start of the first bingo game in each occasion that is designated as a bonus ball game.

Ø     The total amount collected from the sale of opportunities to participate in bonus ball and the amount of the bonus ball prize must be announced by the caller at least fifteen minutes prior to the start of the first bingo game in each occasion that is designated as a bonus ball game.

Ø     If a winner of a designated bonus ball game is verified, the bonus ball prize shall be awarded to the winning player, and the caller shall declare the bonus ball game closed for the remainder of that bingo occasion.

Ø     Each winner of a bonus ball game shall be awarded a cash prize equal to a percentage of the proceeds collected from the sale of opportunities to participate in bonus ball, which cannot exceed seventy‑five percent of the proceeds derived from such sales. The remaining percentage of the proceeds from those sales, which cannot be less than twenty-five percent, is retained by the licensed authorized organization as profit. The percentage of sales used to calculate bonus ball prizes must be specified in the licensed authorized organization’s application for bingo license, on its license and on its bingo program, and must be consistently applied. (Note: Although the prizes awarded in Bonus Ball games are comprised of a predetermined percentage of the proceeds collected from the sale of opportunities identical to the prizes awarded in Early Bird bingo games, Early Bird and Bonus Ball are two distinctly separate bingo games. Authorized organizations may be licensed to conduct two Early Bird games per occasion, and can also designate any or all of the regular and/or special bingo games conducted during that occasion to be Bonus Ball games.)

Ø     If there is no winner during a bingo occasion in which opportunities to play bonus ball are sold, the bonus ball prize money shall be carried-over and added to the specified percentage of the proceeds derived from the sale of bonus ball opportunities during each subsequent bingo occasion, until a winner is determined and the bonus ball prize is awarded. Note: pursuant to Subsection 11-b of Section  1 of Section  476  of  the General Municipal Law, no bonus ball prize can exceed the sum of $6,000. Therefore, when a bonus ball prize reaches $6,000, the prize must remain at $6,000 until a winner is determined. All proceeds from the sale of opportunities collected after a bonus ball prize has reached $6,000 shall be retained by the licensed authorized organization as profit until the $6,000 bonus ball prize is awarded, at which time the caller shall declare the bonus ball game closed for the remainder of that bingo occasion.