One more thing, according to PTA and the law, you should only sponsor two gambling events per calendar year. We have rearranged our schedule of events to accomodate this rule.

We did a silent auction this fall. I asked our PTA director in Washington state before hand about this very same question. This is the info I received. Bingo, Carnivals and any other gambling events that make over $5,000 you need a gambling license for. Silent auctions are not considered a gambling event therefore you do not need a license for these. Another footnote. If you sponsor a gambling event you must give written notice to the local police department 10 days beforehand. Hope this helps.

We haven't run into anything (yet) in Texas about needing a permit, but I have to admit I haven't been inclined to dig too deeply. It just seems like with permits and regulations and worry about liability, the answer to everything these days is "no, you can't."

One thing, from the IRS, even if someone bids $100 on a $20 item "just because it's charity", they can't take the difference as a charitable contribution. Also, you may owe sales tax on the proceeds depending on the rules in your state. Our auctions include theme baskets and items (gift certificates, single items,etc.)

[This message has been edited by JHB (edited 02-10-2001).]

Hi there! This year at our carnival we would like to hold a silent auction. We have a NHL team and a NBA team that are willing to donate autographed items for this purpose. The question I have is if we need a license to do our silent auction? I know that if we were to do a raffle we would, but how do silent auctions work? All responses would be greatly appreciated! Thank you so much.

[This message has been edited by caringmomof3 (edited 02-10-2001).]