There are many regulations that the Don Rowing Club must abide to receive the Lottery Licence, and be compliant with the City of Mississauga and the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (both bodies that govern the Charity Gaming events in Mississauga). The year is divided into two license periods:
· Licence period 1 – May 1st to October 31st (licence application made in January)
· Licence Period 2 – November 1st to April 30th of the following year (licence application made in August)
We have approximately 20-25 bingo sessions for each licence period. Three months before the start of each license period the DRC has to make an application to receive a Lottery Licence. In this application we have to submit the names of all current members that are in good standing (paid their fees and are registered with Rowing Canada); the names on this list go on to become the “Bona Fide” members – and only members that are on this Bona Fide members list are eligible to volunteer at bingo sessions at the Bingo Hall during that licence period. In the past we did not adhere to this requirement very well – we allowed family members (spouse, sibling, etc.) to replace a DRC member if they could not attend. We can no longer do this – ONLY Don Rowing Club members on the Bona Fide list can attend Bingo sessions at the Delta Bingo Hall.
Again in order to be compliant with these regulations, this year and moving forward parents and guardians of members under the age of 18 will be registered with Don Rowing Club and Rowing Canada as “Social Members”. There is no extra charge for the social membership of the parents and guardians, but registration is required as a condition of membership. Only these registered parents/guardians are able to fulfill the bingo obligations of the member under 18 years of age.
Finally, each Bingo session must have four (4) Bona Fide members in attendance. If the Don Rowing Club does not send the required number of Bona Fide members to the Bingo Hall, the club is penalized, and can have future licence applications refused for non-compliance. Additionally, Bona Fide members must show up at the stated start of session to get instruction and to help with the setup of the event. Failure to arrive and/or show up results in penalties for the club and possibility of having future licence applications denied.