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Do I Have to Renew My Alaska Charitable Gaming Permit or License Every Year?

If your organization relies on pull-tabs, bingo, or raffles to fund programs, your ability to keep running those activities depends entirely on holding a valid permit or license. Many organizations assume a permit, once issued, stays active indefinitely. That is not the case under Alaska law, and missing the renewal deadline can mean a gap in your gaming activity, lost fundraising days, and extra administrative headaches. Understanding the renewal requirement now, before the calendar year turns over, helps your board and gaming manager plan ahead instead of scrambling in January.
The Official Answer
According to the Alaska Department of Revenue, Tax Division, Charitable Gaming office:
"Yes, all permits and licenses expire on 12/31 each year."
That is the complete, official answer. It applies across the board, whether your organization holds a standard permit, a multiple-beneficiary permit, an operator license, a vendor registration, a pull-tab distributor license, or a pull-tab manufacturer license. None of these is a one-time credential. Every single one resets on the same calendar, expiring at the end of each year regardless of when during that year it was originally issued.

What This Means in Plain English

Think of your gaming permit or license like an annual membership rather than a lifetime credential. No matter how long your organization has been in good standing, no matter how clean your filing history is, the permit or license you hold today will stop being valid on December 31. If you want to keep conducting bingo nights, selling pull-tabs, or running raffles into the new year, you must renew.

This is a statewide rule that applies to every category of permit and license the state issues for charitable gaming, so there is no exception based on organization size, gaming activity type, or how much revenue you generate. The renewal requirement is built into the structure of the program itself.

Practical Tips for Your Organization
  • Mark your calendar now. Since every permit and license expires on December 31, treat that date as a hard deadline for your board and gaming manager, not a soft target.
  • Confirm who is responsible. Assign one person, ideally your member in charge or manager of gaming, to own the renewal process so it does not fall through the cracks during a busy end of year.
  • Check your renewal window. Renewal timing and fees are handled separately from the expiration date itself, so make sure whoever manages your Revenue Online account knows when the renewal period opens and what it will cost for your specific permit or license type.
  • Keep your records current. A smooth renewal depends on your organization's underlying information, such as your member in charge, being accurate and up to date in your Revenue Online account.
  • Do not wait until the last week of December. Processing takes time, and a lapsed permit means a lapse in your ability to legally conduct gaming activities.
Stock Up Before You Renew
Once your permit is renewed and in good standing, make sure your pull-tab inventory is ready to go for the new year too. Alaska Indoor Sports Distributing has supplied pull-tabs, bingo supplies, and charitable gaming products to organizations across the state for more than 30 years, from our headquarters in Ketchikan and our warehouse in Anchorage. If your organization is gearing up for next year's gaming activities, contact us to make sure you have the products you need on hand when your renewed permit takes effect.
Oct 26th 2026 Doug McBride

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