Schuylkill County Treasurer Linda Marchalk wants to educate area residents so they know what types of games are legal under the Pennsylvania Local Option Small Games of Chance Act and what types of organizations are eligible to participate in the sale of small games of chance.

The small games of chance law authorizes certain nonprofit organizations to conduct limited types of gambling which include pull-tabs, punchboards, raffles (including special raffles, basket raffles and Chinese auctions), daily drawings, weekly drawings, fifty-fifty drawings, race night games and pools, excluding sports pools.Some examples of illegal forms of gambling include sports betting (including pools involving professional or amateur athletics), quarter auctions, Monte Carlo/casino/poker nights, video gambling devices (including video poker or slots), Texas Hold'em tournaments, and poker runs."Only certain nonprofit organizations are authorized to purchase and operate small games of chance," Marchalk said."These organizations include charitable, religious, fraternal, veterans, civic, any statewide or local bona fide sportsmen's and wildlife organizations, conservation organizations, volunteer fire companies, volunteer rescue squads, volunteers ambulance associations and school booster organizations."Clubs holding a liquor license are exempt organizations under the IRS code."It is illegal to operate small games of chance without a valid license. A license issued by the county Treasurer's Office is for exclusive use of the entity only. It is unlawful for an organization to allow other organizations or individuals to use their small games of chance license.Every eligible organization in which a license has been issued may conduct game of chance for the purpose of raising funds for public interest purposes only.Information is available at the Treasurer's Office website

http://co.schuylkill.pa.us/Offices/Treasurer/Treasurer.asp or by calling 570-628-1434.