As for Zeekaboo's question, I am sure everything that we did with Bingo and "Deal or No Deal" is illegal, not to mention using the phrase "Deal or No Deal" is probably a copyright violation.

Let me state right from the start that I did not check into the legality of either game, so if you want to be compliant with your state's gaming laws to please check into your state's laws. Both games might be illegal or may need a permit to be played.

I first must state that I am as law abiding citizen as they come. I also must state that I am a dad with a full time job who was willing to spend an extra 20 hours of my free time doing flyers, setting up the games, coordinating people, buying prizes and refreshments etc. I acknowledge there is a need for the gaming laws to be on the books, but in my case I felt I did not have to abide by them. If we were doing a huge Bingo fundraiser I would be more diligent, this was an informal night of Bingo for 1 1/2 hours.

In this case I have 4 criteria on whether I feel the need to comply with state gaming laws.

1.) Was the principal OK with the idea? She has never had a problem with any of the bingo nights we have held, or with Deal or No Deal. For the Bingo night we are giving out $5 Dairy Queen gift certificates.

2.) Was the event hurting anybody? Unless I was taking business away from Bingo halls that charge a $2 entry fee, I do not think I was harming any business. And I certainly hope that a night of bingo is not introducing 2nd graders into a life of gambling. ("My life of crime all started when I was in first grade and I went to a PTO sponsored Bingo Night. Once I got that first taste of gambling I was hooked for life.")

3.) Did I feel guilty or feel like I did something morally wrong? No, this was a simple night of Bingo and a knock off of a popular game on TV. There was some hesitation having the top prize be $50, but we knew the odds were against students winning that much.

I include this question because this question would prevent me from doing a Poker Night, even with fake money. A Poker Night or Casino Night I would not feel right with, Bingo and "Deal or No Deal" I was OK with. Just my opinion, you may have a different opinion.

4.) If I was caught, would I be embarrased if my crime was printed in the paper? No, I feel most people would see the event as a Family Fun Night, not as a horrible crime. Most people would say how ridiculous to crack down on a PTo Bingo Night, don't the police have better things to do.

Anyway, this is just my opinion, and I totally respect groups that have followed the letter of the law and got all the correct permits. Every school, city and state have different tolerance levels, and what works for one might not work somewhere else.

Thank you for letting me explain my opinion. I know this question of gaming laws comes up a lot, so I am just adding my take on the subject.

Thanks

LOVE THIS IDEA!! I love deal or no deal.

This is a great idea, especailly with the popularity of the game. I have one question though, is this not considered gambling? We play bingo in our school with the just the kids for little prizes. I do know that when you get into dealing with money, this is a potential problem. How do you get around this?

We charged everybody $2 when they got there. We let anyone win at bingo, whether you were a student, parent or sibling. But we also gave every elementary student half of a dual ticket with a number, and we kept the other half to draw contestants out of. That way only the elementary students were allowed to play Deal or No Deal, but everyone could play bingo.

We have found the dual tickets are invaluable. They usually say ticket on one half, and keep this ticket on the other half, both having te same number on them. One year we just had the kids fill out a slip of paper if they wanted to play, and you would be amazed either how slow it took to write their name, or you just get "Billy" written on the ticket. So we use the dual tickets a lot.

Skyview - what fun! Thanks so much for sharing the details. Just one question since I'm not familiar with the show. How are the 10 contestants chosen?

I really like that you played an hour and a half of bingo first so everyone could play, get excited about the evening and then enthusiastically cheer on the 10 Deal or No Deal players.

It sounds like it was fun for everyone and a hugely succesful family night! Congratulations!!!

Skyview, what a great idea!!! We are planning our 3rd annual Family Game Night and I was going to do bingo again, but this sounds like so much fun. I'll present it to my committee.