HB 4172 Texas House · 89th Legislature (2025)

Relating to regulating charitable bingo and authorizing the establishment of a nonprofit corporation to advertise and promote charitable bingo.

HB 4172 regulates charitable bingo operations in Texas by allowing licensed distributors to accept returned equipment from authorized organizations under specific conditions (e.g., defects or over-delivery), requiring detailed records of all returns. It restricts bingo advertising to only licensed organizations, commercial lessors, the state commission, or a newly authorized nonprofit, permitting only the disclosure of statewide or event-specific prize amounts. The bill creates a new nonprofit corporation (for existing statewide organizations active before 2024) to promote charitable bingo, but only to assist licensed distributors, manufacturers, and organizers. This directly affects charitable bingo groups, distributors, and the new nonprofit, clarifying equipment handling, advertising rules, and promotional structures.
Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared
Introduction
Mar 2025
Committee Review
May 2025
House Passage
May 2025
Senate Passage
Governor
Introduced Mar 31, 2025 Last action May 12, 2025
Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

Introduced Engrossed · 6 edits · May 10, 2025
MODERATE
This bill updates Texas charitable bingo regulations by adding a new nonprofit corporation to help licensed organizations advertise and promote charitable bingo, clarifying rules for returning defective bingo equipment, and adjusting operating capital limits and prize fee remittance requirements. The changes aim to modernize the regulatory framework while maintaining oversight of charitable gaming activities.
Scope change
The bill expands the scope by creating a new nonprofit corporation structure to support charitable bingo promotion and modifies existing rules for equipment returns and financial remittances.
FISCAL

Added Section 2001.4151 creating a new nonprofit corporation that can accept remitted prize fees from licensed authorized organizations to fund advertising and promotional activities for charitable bingo.

Added a new provision allowing licensed organizations to reduce remittances to counties/municipalities by up to 15% of 2023 remittance amounts, with funds directed to the new nonprofit corporation.

REQUIREMENT

Modified equipment return procedures to require distributors to maintain records of returned items and provide copies to both the distributor and the organization.

ELIGIBILITY

Adjusted operating capital limits for bingo accounts from $50,000 to $100,000 per organization or unit, with exceptions for new operations or force majeure circumstances.

TIMELINE

Extended effective dates for most provisions to September 1, 2025, with Section 5 (prize fee changes) taking effect October 1, 2025.

DEFINITION

Added new subsection (h) clarifying that the nonprofit corporation can accept funds from sources other than bingo prize fees.

Floor votes · House May 10, 2025

How they voted

8546
Passed · 14 other
Total votes 145
May 10, 2025
D Democratic59
49 Yea 1 Nay 9
83% Yea
R Republican86
36 Yea 45 Nay 5
52% Nay
Vote distribution
All Yea All Nay Mixed No data
Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions
24
Key actions
8
Committee
6
Amendments
2
May 12, 2025
Introduced
Received from the House
upper
May 10, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed
lower
May 9, 2025
Lower · Passed
Passed to engrossment as amended
lower
May 9, 2025
Lower · Passed
Amended
lower
May 5, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report sent to Calendars
lower
May 2, 2025
Lower · Passed
Committee report distributed
lower
Apr 22, 2025
Lower · Passed
Reported favorably as substituted
lower
Apr 15, 2025
Lower · Passed
Left pending in committee
lower
Apr 15, 2025
Lower · Passed
Testimony taken/registration(s) recorded in committee
lower
Mar 31, 2025
Committee
Referred to Licensing & Administrative Procedures
lower
Mar 31, 2025
Introduced
Read first time
lower
2 primary · 0 co-sponsors

Sponsors