SP0388
LD 1268
Session - 129th Maine Legislature
C "A", Filing Number S-67, Sponsored by
LR 1549
Item 2
Bill Tracking, Additional Documents Chamber Status

Amend the bill by inserting after the enacting clause and before section 1 the following:

Sec. 1. 17 MRSA §1832, sub-§1,  as amended by PL 2017, c. 284, Pt. KKKKK, §15, is further amended to read:

1. License or registration required.   A Except as provided in section 1837-A, a person, firm, corporation, association or organization may not hold, conduct or operate a game of chance without a license issued by or, as applicable, without registering with the Gambling Control Unit in accordance with this section. A license is not required when a game of chance constitutes social gambling.

Sec. 2. 17 MRSA §1834, sub-§2,  as amended by PL 2017, c. 284, Pt. KKKKK, §16, is further amended to read:

2. Operation of games of chance.   Except for electronic video games as provided in this section, the registration fee for a license or registration to operate a game of chance is $15 for each week computed on a Monday to Sunday basis or for a portion of a week . The fee for a license issued , $60 for a calendar month is $60 and the fee for licenses issued or $700 for a calendar year is $700.

The Gambling Control Unit may issue any combination of weekly or monthly licenses for the operation of games of chance. Registration to conduct any authorized game of chance may be issued for a period of up to 12 months on one application.’

Amend the bill in section 1 in §1837-A in subsection 3 in the first line (page 1, line 20 in L.D.) by striking out the following: "of $2,501 to $10,000" and inserting the following: 'greater than $2,500 but not greater than $10,000'

Amend the bill in section 1 in §1837-A in subsection 3 in the 4th line (page 1, line 23 in L.D.) by striking out the following: "$2,501" and inserting the following: ' $2,501 $2,500'

Amend the bill in section 1 in §1837-A by striking out all of subsection 4 (page 1, lines 31 to 41 and page 2, lines 1 and 2 in L.D.) and inserting the following:

4. Raffle with a noncash prize of up to $75,000 or a cash prize of up to $20,000 conducted by eligible organization.  An eligible organization as described in section 1832, subsection 2 may register with the Gambling Control Unit to conduct a raffle in which the total value of the prize offered or prizes awarded to the holder of the a winning chance or to the holders of the winning chances does not exceed $75,000 upon the acceptance of a registration by the Gambling Control Unit. The registration must state a verifiable charitable purpose for which the proceeds of the raffle are dedicated to benefit. If the raffle is conducted in a manner in which there are multiple winning chances, the total value of all prizes offered may not exceed a value of $75,000. A noncash prize for a raffle conducted under this subsection may not be exchanged for cash. The total amount of cash prizes that may be awarded for a raffle conducted under this subsection may not exceed $20,000 with no more than one $10,000 prize for the holder of a winning chance. An eligible organization may not conduct more than one raffle under this subsection in a 12-month period. :
A Seventy-five thousand dollars that is not in the form of cash and may not be exchanged for cash; or
B Twenty thousand dollars in cash, with no more than one $10,000 cash prize for the holder of a winning chance.

At the time of registration, the eligible organization shall state a verifiable charitable purpose that the proceeds of the raffle are dedicated to benefit.

Amend the bill in section 1 in §1837-A by striking out all of subsection 6 (page 2, lines 7 to 10 in L.D.) and inserting the following:

6 Multiple raffles.   An eligible organization as described in section 1832, subsection 2 may conduct more than one raffle at a time that meet the requirements of subsections 2-A, 3 and 4, except that an eligible organization may not conduct more than one registered raffle at the same time under subsection 4, paragraph A and may not conduct more than one registered raffle at the same time under subsection 4, paragraph B. This subsection does not prevent an eligible organization from conducting one registered raffle under subsection 4, paragraph A at the same time that the eligible organization conducts one registered raffle under subsection 4, paragraph B. When an eligible organization conducts multiple raffles as permitted by this subsection, the eligible organization is not required to begin and end those raffles on the same dates.

Amend the bill by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Part letter or section number to read consecutively.

SUMMARY

This amendment clarifies that certain nonprofit organizations, which may register with the Department of Public Safety, Gambling Control Unit to conduct raffles with noncash prizes that do not exceed $75,000 in value or raffles with cash prizes that do not exceed $20,000 in value, may conduct only one of these registered noncash prize raffles and one of these registered cash prize raffles at the same time. The amendment eliminates the portion of the bill that allows nonprofit organizations to exchange the prizes awarded in a noncash prize raffle for cash prizes.

The amendment also makes technical changes to the laws governing games of chance that clarify the authority of the Gambling Control Unit to issue registrations to organizations that conduct raffles, including raffles with noncash prizes of a value greater than $2500, and that clarify the weekly, monthly and annual registration fees for all games of chance, including raffles.


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