Maine Revised Statutes Title 17 Sec. 1835-A – Conduct of games of chance
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1. Wagers or entry fees; exceptions. The following limits apply to games of chance.
A. The maximum bet for a licensed game of chance is $5. [PL 2019, c. 117, §4 (AMD).]
B. Notwithstanding paragraph A, if the registrant operates games of chance for less than 3 total days in a calendar year and contributes 100% of the gross revenue from those games of chance to charity, the amount wagered must be limited to:
(1) A $1 daily entry fee; or
(2) Fifty cents per game. [PL 2019, c. 117, §4 (AMD).]
[PL 2019, c. 117, §4 (AMD).]
Terms Used In Maine Revised Statutes Title 17 Sec. 1835-A
- Adult: means a person who has attained the age of 18 years. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 1 Sec. 72
- Charity: An agency, institution, or organization in existence and operating for the benefit of an indefinite number of persons and conducted for educational, religious, scientific, medical, or other beneficent purposes.
- Director: means the Executive Director of the Gambling Control Unit. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 17 Sec. 1831
- fair: means a nonprofit agricultural fair society eligible for a stipend under Title 7, chapter 4. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 17 Sec. 1831
- Game of chance: means a game, contest, scheme or device in which:
A. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 17 Sec. 1831Gross revenue: means the total amount wagered in a game of chance less the prizes awarded. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 17 Sec. 1831 Internet raffle: means a raffle in which a person purchases a raffle chance or ticket through, and a winner or winning chances are determined by, a digital platform that involves, at least in part, the use of the Internet. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 17 Sec. 1831 Internet raffle operator: means a person, firm, corporation, association or organization licensed under section 1837?B, subsection 2 to conduct an Internet raffle using an Internet raffle system. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 17 Sec. 1831 Member: means a bona fide member of a firm, corporation, association, organization, department or class or a combination thereof who has been duly admitted as a member according to the laws, rules, regulations, ordinances or bylaws governing membership in the firm, corporation, association, organization, department, class or combination thereof. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 17 Sec. 1831 Raffle: means a game of chance in which:
A. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 17 Sec. 1831Registrant: means a person or organization registered with the Gambling Control Unit to conduct a game of chance, a raffle or certain tournament games, for which a license is not required under this chapter. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 17 Sec. 1831 Something of value: means :
A. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 17 Sec. 1831Tokens: means distinctive objects, chips, tickets or other devices of no intrinsic value used as a substitute for cash in accounting for revenue from a game of chance. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 17 Sec. 1831 unit: means the bureau within the Department of Public Safety under Title 25, section 2902, subsection 12 or an authorized representative of the Gambling Control Unit. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 17 Sec. 1831 Year: means a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed. See Maine Revised Statutes Title 1 Sec. 72
2. Games conducted by members and bartenders of registrant only. A game of chance registered pursuant to this chapter must be operated and conducted for the exclusive benefit of the registrant and, except for an Internet raffle conducted by an Internet raffle operator, must be operated and conducted only by duly authorized members of the registrant or by persons employed by the registrant as bartenders. Nonmembers employed by the registrant as bartenders may not operate or conduct any game of chance permitted under subsection 5, paragraph B. The requirements of this subsection do not apply to any agricultural society registered to operate a game of chance.
[PL 2021, c. 136, §7 (AMD).]
3. Games conducted at agricultural fair by members of the agricultural society or a bona fide nonprofit. Games of chance operated and conducted solely by members of an agricultural society or games of chance operated and conducted by members of bona fide nonprofit organizations on the grounds of the agricultural society and during the annual fair of the agricultural society may use cash, tickets, tokens or other devices approved by the Gambling Control Unit by rule.
Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, the tickets, tokens or other devices approved by the Gambling Control Unit must be unique to the agricultural society and may be in denominations of 25¢, 50¢, $1 or $5. The tickets, tokens or devices approved by the Gambling Control Unit may be sold and redeemed only by a person who has been a member or active volunteer of the agricultural society for at least 2 fair seasons. The agricultural society has the burden of proof for demonstrating the qualification of members or active volunteers.
An agricultural society that uses tokens shall provide records and reports as required by section 1839.
[PL 2019, c. 117, §5 (AMD).]
4. Persons under 18 years of age; exception. Except as provided in section 1837?A, a registrant, game owner or operator may not permit a person under 18 years of age to take part in a game of chance. Notwithstanding any rule to the contrary, upon receiving an application on a form provided by the Gambling Control Unit and a determination by the director that a game of chance licensed to be conducted at a festival-style event is designed to attract players under 18 years of age and awards a nonmonetary prize valued at less than $10 for every chance played, the Gambling Control Unit may permit:
A. Persons under 18 years of age to conduct or operate the game of chance; and [PL 2017, c. 284, Pt. KKKKK, §18 (NEW).]
B. Persons under 18 years of age to play the game of chance without being accompanied by an adult. [PL 2017, c. 284, Pt. KKKKK, §18 (NEW).]
Nothing in this subsection permits games of chance to be operated without being registered with the Gambling Control Unit.
[PL 2017, c. 284, Pt. KKKKK, §18 (NEW).]
5. Location. A registration for a game of chance must specify the location where the organization may operate the game. A registrant may not operate games of chance in more than one location at the same time.
A. An agricultural society or a bona fide nonprofit organization may operate a game of chance on the grounds of an agricultural society and during the annual fair of the agricultural society. [PL 2017, c. 284, Pt. KKKKK, §18 (NEW).]
B. No more than one registrant may operate a game of chance at a time on the same premises. In any room where a registered game of chance is being conducted, there must be at least one member of the organization registered to conduct games of chance present in that room for every 2 nonmembers who are present. That member must have been a member of the registered organization for at least one year. A member of the organization registered to conduct games of chance, either directly or through another member or guest, may not stake or risk something of value in the registrant’s game of chance unless the member has been a member of the organization registered to conduct games of chance for at least 14 days not including the day of admission into membership. [PL 2017, c. 284, Pt. KKKKK, §18 (NEW).]
A bona fide nonprofit organization may operate a registered game of chance to which the general public has access no more than 4 times in a calendar year for a period not to exceed 4 consecutive days. The game of chance may be operated at any location described in the organization’s registration and may be conducted only by members of the registrant. This subsection does not apply to raffles conducted in accordance with section 1837?A.
[PL 2019, c. 117, §6 (AMD).]
6. Door prizes. Distribution of tickets to an event upon which appear details concerning any prize to be given away as a result of a drawing is a game of chance within the meaning of this chapter; a distribution of tickets containing only the words “Door Prize,” without further description, is excluded from the provisions of this chapter, as long as no promotional materials or presentations, written or oral, describe the door prize.
[PL 2017, c. 284, Pt. KKKKK, §18 (NEW).]
7. “Donation” not to provide an exclusion. The word “donation” printed on a ticket does not exclude the sponsoring organization from complying with this chapter.
[PL 2017, c. 284, Pt. KKKKK, §18 (NEW).]
SECTION HISTORY
PL 2017, c. 284, Pt. KKKKK, §18 (NEW). PL 2019, c. 117, §§4-6 (AMD). PL 2021, c. 136, §7 (AMD).