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#1
General Discussion / Re: It's disheartening to see ...
Last post by Dan M R-9148 - Apr 13, 2026, 09:29 AMThat actually puts you in a pretty favorable position—an educational 501(c)(3) like the Casino Collectibles Association can justify member-to-member sales more easily than most nonprofits, as long as it's framed correctly.
Here's how it applies specifically to your situation:
✅ Why it can work for you
Because your mission is educational around casino collectibles, a marketplace can be positioned as:
Supporting study, preservation, and exchange of artifacts
Helping collectors access authentic items for research/education
Encouraging historical knowledge sharing tied to items
That creates a clear mission connection, which is the key test.
⚠️ Where you need to be careful
1. Don't let it become the main purpose
If your site starts to feel like:
"A marketplace for buying/selling chips"
instead of:
"An educational organization with a member exchange feature"
—you risk IRS scrutiny.
2. Avoid "private benefit" issues
You must not:
Promote specific sellers disproportionately
Give insiders (admins, board members) advantages
Structure things so the primary outcome is member profit
Members can benefit—but it must be incidental, not the purpose.
3. Revenue structure matters (UBIT risk)
If you monetize, here's how it breaks down:
Safer approaches:
Flat listing fees tied to cost recovery
Optional donations
Member dues that include access
Higher risk:
Taking a % commission on each sale (looks like a business)
Scaling into a major revenue stream
If it does generate meaningful revenue, you may owe Unrelated Business Income Tax (UBIT).
4. Keep the educational layer visible
This is where many orgs fail.
You should explicitly tie listings to education, for example:
Require descriptions with historical context
Link items to guides, archives, or catalog entries
Encourage discussion threads about items
Maintain a reference database alongside listings
💡 Smart structure (what I'd recommend)
Think of it as:
"Collector Exchange + Education Hub", not a marketplace.
Concrete setup:
Listings allowed for members only
No or minimal commissions (or very small, cost-based)
Each item optionally links to:
provenance info
rarity notes
related articles
Include disclaimers: you are not the seller
Keep it clearly a member benefit, not a public commercial platform
🚫 What would get you in trouble
Running it like eBay for casino chips
Making it a primary revenue driver
Marketing the org mainly around buying/selling
Preferential treatment for certain sellers
No educational framing at all
👍 Bottom line
Yes—this is one of the better use cases for a 501(c)(3) member marketplace.
You just need to:
Keep it mission-first
Ensure member profit is incidental
Avoid operating like a full commercial platform
Here's how it applies specifically to your situation:
✅ Why it can work for you
Because your mission is educational around casino collectibles, a marketplace can be positioned as:
Supporting study, preservation, and exchange of artifacts
Helping collectors access authentic items for research/education
Encouraging historical knowledge sharing tied to items
That creates a clear mission connection, which is the key test.
⚠️ Where you need to be careful
1. Don't let it become the main purpose
If your site starts to feel like:
"A marketplace for buying/selling chips"
instead of:
"An educational organization with a member exchange feature"
—you risk IRS scrutiny.
2. Avoid "private benefit" issues
You must not:
Promote specific sellers disproportionately
Give insiders (admins, board members) advantages
Structure things so the primary outcome is member profit
Members can benefit—but it must be incidental, not the purpose.
3. Revenue structure matters (UBIT risk)
If you monetize, here's how it breaks down:
Safer approaches:
Flat listing fees tied to cost recovery
Optional donations
Member dues that include access
Higher risk:
Taking a % commission on each sale (looks like a business)
Scaling into a major revenue stream
If it does generate meaningful revenue, you may owe Unrelated Business Income Tax (UBIT).
4. Keep the educational layer visible
This is where many orgs fail.
You should explicitly tie listings to education, for example:
Require descriptions with historical context
Link items to guides, archives, or catalog entries
Encourage discussion threads about items
Maintain a reference database alongside listings
💡 Smart structure (what I'd recommend)
Think of it as:
"Collector Exchange + Education Hub", not a marketplace.
Concrete setup:
Listings allowed for members only
No or minimal commissions (or very small, cost-based)
Each item optionally links to:
provenance info
rarity notes
related articles
Include disclaimers: you are not the seller
Keep it clearly a member benefit, not a public commercial platform
🚫 What would get you in trouble
Running it like eBay for casino chips
Making it a primary revenue driver
Marketing the org mainly around buying/selling
Preferential treatment for certain sellers
No educational framing at all
👍 Bottom line
Yes—this is one of the better use cases for a 501(c)(3) member marketplace.
You just need to:
Keep it mission-first
Ensure member profit is incidental
Avoid operating like a full commercial platform
#2
General Discussion / Re: It's disheartening to see ...
Last post by Dan M R-9148 - Apr 13, 2026, 09:26 AMAll of which we meet No grey....
#3
General Discussion / Re: It's disheartening to see ...
Last post by Dan M R-9148 - Apr 13, 2026, 09:26 AMYes—a 501(c)(3) can allow online sales between its members, but there are some important rules to keep it compliant.
✅ What's generally allowed
A nonprofit can facilitate member-to-member sales (like a marketplace, classifieds, or auction system) if:
The activity supports or is related to the organization's charitable purpose, or at least doesn't conflict with it.
The nonprofit is not primarily operating as a commercial marketplace.
Any income the nonprofit earns (fees, commissions, etc.) is handled properly.
⚠️ Key compliance issues
1. Private benefit / inurement
The nonprofit cannot exist to benefit specific members financially.
If members are profiting from sales, that's fine—but the organization itself can't be structured mainly to enable that profit.
Avoid giving special advantages to insiders (board members, founders, etc.).
2. Unrelated Business Income (UBI)
If the nonprofit takes a cut of sales, listing fees, or commissions, that revenue could be considered unrelated business income (UBIT) unless:
The marketplace activity is substantially related to the mission, or
An exception applies (e.g., volunteer-run, convenience of members, etc.).
3. Mission alignment
If your nonprofit's purpose is, say, "supporting artists," then a member art marketplace makes sense.
If your mission is unrelated (e.g., environmental education), a general marketplace could raise red flags.
4. Scale matters
Occasional or small-scale member sales → usually fine
Large, ongoing marketplace resembling eBay → higher scrutiny
5. State laws & consumer protection
You may need:
Terms of service
Disclaimers (you're not the seller)
Sales tax considerations depending on structure
💡 Best practices
Structure it like a community benefit, not a profit engine
Charge reasonable, cost-covering fees (not profit-maximizing)
Clearly document how it supports your mission
Keep governance clean (no insider favoritism)
👍 Bottom line
Yes, it's allowed—but it must be secondary to your mission and not primarily designed to generate profit for members or the organization.
✅ What's generally allowed
A nonprofit can facilitate member-to-member sales (like a marketplace, classifieds, or auction system) if:
The activity supports or is related to the organization's charitable purpose, or at least doesn't conflict with it.
The nonprofit is not primarily operating as a commercial marketplace.
Any income the nonprofit earns (fees, commissions, etc.) is handled properly.
⚠️ Key compliance issues
1. Private benefit / inurement
The nonprofit cannot exist to benefit specific members financially.
If members are profiting from sales, that's fine—but the organization itself can't be structured mainly to enable that profit.
Avoid giving special advantages to insiders (board members, founders, etc.).
2. Unrelated Business Income (UBI)
If the nonprofit takes a cut of sales, listing fees, or commissions, that revenue could be considered unrelated business income (UBIT) unless:
The marketplace activity is substantially related to the mission, or
An exception applies (e.g., volunteer-run, convenience of members, etc.).
3. Mission alignment
If your nonprofit's purpose is, say, "supporting artists," then a member art marketplace makes sense.
If your mission is unrelated (e.g., environmental education), a general marketplace could raise red flags.
4. Scale matters
Occasional or small-scale member sales → usually fine
Large, ongoing marketplace resembling eBay → higher scrutiny
5. State laws & consumer protection
You may need:
Terms of service
Disclaimers (you're not the seller)
Sales tax considerations depending on structure
💡 Best practices
Structure it like a community benefit, not a profit engine
Charge reasonable, cost-covering fees (not profit-maximizing)
Clearly document how it supports your mission
Keep governance clean (no insider favoritism)
👍 Bottom line
Yes, it's allowed—but it must be secondary to your mission and not primarily designed to generate profit for members or the organization.
#4
General Discussion / Re: It's disheartening to see ...
Last post by David Spragg - LM-6180-166 - Apr 13, 2026, 07:07 AMDan
Google "can a 501c3 non-profit forum allow online sales between members"
It seems to remain a very grey area
Google "can a 501c3 non-profit forum allow online sales between members"
It seems to remain a very grey area
#5
General Discussion / It's disheartening to see how ...
Last post by Dan M R-9148 - Apr 13, 2026, 06:45 AMOur own boards and subjects get as opposed to other hobby boards.... To get word out we have to use sites not owned by the club and call them "Defacto" club boards. I for one will make a greater effort to post more on our own boards in hopes of bringing more activity to them.
I know that some have said in the past that allowing members to sell to each other would violate some tax code or rule but as I looked into that it is just false. On www.PokerChipper.com , theChipBoard and at PCF sales between members flourish and drive traffic to the sites. I haven't been required to follow any codes or tax codes on Chipper as I am not the one selling anything or profiting from those sales.
Does anyone in the club have a legitimate explanation as to why we cant have a member marketplace on our forum ?
I have not had to guarantee or intervene in any sale thats occured on www.pokerchipper.com in any major way and the club already boasts one of the benefits of membership is that they are able to help with disputes between members. I do the same but disclose that we are not responsible for transactions between seller and buyer in the end.
To drive traffic to our own sites is key to new driving new membership to the club through exposure. Driving sales at eBay is detrimental to the hobby and to the club as all it does is make money for eBay and drive up the price of chips. I for one have made my last chip purchase on eBay as prices are simply crazy there and on top of that the taxes and shipping prices are crazy. Sellers who play the make $2 on the shipping price drives me nuts!
I know that some have said in the past that allowing members to sell to each other would violate some tax code or rule but as I looked into that it is just false. On www.PokerChipper.com , theChipBoard and at PCF sales between members flourish and drive traffic to the sites. I haven't been required to follow any codes or tax codes on Chipper as I am not the one selling anything or profiting from those sales.
Does anyone in the club have a legitimate explanation as to why we cant have a member marketplace on our forum ?
I have not had to guarantee or intervene in any sale thats occured on www.pokerchipper.com in any major way and the club already boasts one of the benefits of membership is that they are able to help with disputes between members. I do the same but disclose that we are not responsible for transactions between seller and buyer in the end.
To drive traffic to our own sites is key to new driving new membership to the club through exposure. Driving sales at eBay is detrimental to the hobby and to the club as all it does is make money for eBay and drive up the price of chips. I for one have made my last chip purchase on eBay as prices are simply crazy there and on top of that the taxes and shipping prices are crazy. Sellers who play the make $2 on the shipping price drives me nuts!
#6
General Discussion / The CCA has a Block of Discoun...
Last post by Jim Follis LM-3872-53 - Apr 09, 2026, 10:26 AMThe CCA has a Club Block of discounted rooms for the Convention.
Utilization of the block has a significant impact on the overall cost of hosting the Convention and in determining what concessions the CCA receives in future years contracts, thereby keeping our costs down.
In order for a booking to be included in the Block, you either need to book through the direct link:
(link)
or if booking by email or phone, quote room Block Code CAS0614
There is a strict cutoff for the Block, 24 May 2026, but please try not to leave it until the last minute.
If you plan on attending the CCA Convention, please help us by utilizing the room Block. And...
You do not have to be a CCA member to do so.
If you are already fully comped in advance by the South Point, then you can't make use of the Block, but if you are expecting to be comped in any way at the end of the Show then please use the Block for your initial booking.
If you have already made a booking and are unsure whether you used the room Block Code, please contact David Spragg at convention@ccgtcc.com with your reservation details, and he will get you added. Please note that bookings have to be made directly with the South Point, and not through Expedia, Booking.com, or any other 3rd party agent.
David Spragg, CCA Convention Chair
Utilization of the block has a significant impact on the overall cost of hosting the Convention and in determining what concessions the CCA receives in future years contracts, thereby keeping our costs down.
In order for a booking to be included in the Block, you either need to book through the direct link:
(link)
or if booking by email or phone, quote room Block Code CAS0614
There is a strict cutoff for the Block, 24 May 2026, but please try not to leave it until the last minute.
If you plan on attending the CCA Convention, please help us by utilizing the room Block. And...
You do not have to be a CCA member to do so.
If you are already fully comped in advance by the South Point, then you can't make use of the Block, but if you are expecting to be comped in any way at the end of the Show then please use the Block for your initial booking.
If you have already made a booking and are unsure whether you used the room Block Code, please contact David Spragg at convention@ccgtcc.com with your reservation details, and he will get you added. Please note that bookings have to be made directly with the South Point, and not through Expedia, Booking.com, or any other 3rd party agent.
David Spragg, CCA Convention Chair
#7
General Discussion / 2025 Greg Susong Memorial Awar...
Last post by Tom Hertel LM-1932 - Apr 08, 2026, 05:54 PMFor those who have voted, Thank you. If you have not you still have time.
Voting Ballot can be found in the latest Club Magazine or on line on the club website. We have had a great turnout so far. The last day to Vote is MAY 11th. Mail Ballots must post marked May 11th.
Thank you
Barbara & Thomas
Co Chairmans
Voting Ballot can be found in the latest Club Magazine or on line on the club website. We have had a great turnout so far. The last day to Vote is MAY 11th. Mail Ballots must post marked May 11th.
Thank you
Barbara & Thomas
Co Chairmans
#8
Events / Do it at the convention for a ...
Last post by Mike Nawrocki R-8733 - Apr 07, 2026, 09:04 AMIntrigued?
Watch this spot for all the details
coming soon.
Watch this spot for all the details
coming soon.
#9
General Discussion / CCA Board Meeting tomorrow 4/6...
Last post by Barry Sherwood R-9037 (admin) - Apr 05, 2026, 10:03 AMHey, everyone. It's that time again. Board meeting tomorrow night at 6pm via zoom. Please attend as we have a lot to report and want your feedback, suggestions, and your willingness to help out.
Barry Sherwood is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: CCA General Board Meeting 20260406
Time: Apr 6, 2026 06:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/97734176600?pwd=pGfTSpHClvGe0J8diGW8QwYDaW1NNN.1
Meeting agenda
https://docs.zoom.us/agenda/doc/1c45354e-52bd-494a-87a3-51876ac2fd42
View meeting insights with Zoom AI Companion
https://zoom.us/launch/edl?muid=1c45354e-52bd-494a-87a3-51876ac2fd42
Meeting ID: 977 3417 6600
Passcode: 106071
---
One tap mobile
+16699006833,,97734176600#,,,,*106071# US (San Jose)
+17193594580,,97734176600#,,,,*106071# US
---
Join by SIP
• 97734176600@zoomcrc.com
Join instructions
https://zoom.us/meetings/97734176600/invitations?signature=-FtZ5sUvWdtGveAxYuALzWegi2tnuNX2bH_BuQL9g30
Barry Sherwood is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: CCA General Board Meeting 20260406
Time: Apr 6, 2026 06:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/97734176600?pwd=pGfTSpHClvGe0J8diGW8QwYDaW1NNN.1
Meeting agenda
https://docs.zoom.us/agenda/doc/1c45354e-52bd-494a-87a3-51876ac2fd42
View meeting insights with Zoom AI Companion
https://zoom.us/launch/edl?muid=1c45354e-52bd-494a-87a3-51876ac2fd42
Meeting ID: 977 3417 6600
Passcode: 106071
---
One tap mobile
+16699006833,,97734176600#,,,,*106071# US (San Jose)
+17193594580,,97734176600#,,,,*106071# US
---
Join by SIP
• 97734176600@zoomcrc.com
Join instructions
https://zoom.us/meetings/97734176600/invitations?signature=-FtZ5sUvWdtGveAxYuALzWegi2tnuNX2bH_BuQL9g30
#10
General Discussion / Announcing the CCA Social Medi...
Last post by Bob Miksztal R-8909 - Mar 25, 2026, 05:04 PMIn order to better connect with the public, CCA will be having a focused effort to get local Social Media influencers into the 2026 Show at SouthPoint. We all know how great the show is, we want to get them to show their audiences too.
We are inviting them to the show for a Thursday 9 am "Sneak Preview". We will encourage them to tour the show, take photos and video, talk with experienced gaming memorabilia historians, meet avid collectors and share the experience.
Details are evolving but we are asking for your help.
First: if you have a favorite Social Media account that covers Las Vegas activities, gaming history or gaming collectibles, let us know by responding here. We know the big ones (Vegas Matt, Vegas Starfish, Vegas Pauly C, SayHiToMatt), but we are looking for smaller ones too.
Second: if you have a direct connection with a Social Media platform or influencer, please reach out to Bob Miksztal (greatoz99@yahoo.com) or Brad Smith (publicity@ccgtcc.com)
We are inviting them to the show for a Thursday 9 am "Sneak Preview". We will encourage them to tour the show, take photos and video, talk with experienced gaming memorabilia historians, meet avid collectors and share the experience.
Details are evolving but we are asking for your help.
First: if you have a favorite Social Media account that covers Las Vegas activities, gaming history or gaming collectibles, let us know by responding here. We know the big ones (Vegas Matt, Vegas Starfish, Vegas Pauly C, SayHiToMatt), but we are looking for smaller ones too.
Second: if you have a direct connection with a Social Media platform or influencer, please reach out to Bob Miksztal (greatoz99@yahoo.com) or Brad Smith (publicity@ccgtcc.com)