PLEASE NOTE: Legislative Information cannot perform research, provide legal advice, or interpret Maine law. For legal assistance, please contact a qualified attorney.
An Act To Change the Laws Concerning Games of Chance
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 17 MRSA §324-A, sub-§2,  as enacted by PL 2003, c. 452, Pt. I, §10 and affected by Pt. X, §2, is amended to read:
 
2. Games of chance before "beano."   A person may not conduct a lottery or other game of chance during the period of one hour before the conduct of any "beano" game at the specific location of the "beano" game, except that the following lotteries may be conducted during the period of one hour2 hours before the conduct of "beano" games.
 
A.  Lottery tickets issued by the State Liquor and Lottery Commission may be sold when a valid license certificate issued by the commission is properly displayed and, notwithstanding the other provisions of this section, at any time during the conduct of "beano" games.
 
B.  Raffle tickets may be sold in accordance with chapter 14.
 
C.  Lucky seven or similar sealed tickets may be sold when that game of chance is licensed by the Chief of the State Police and when a valid license certificate is properly displayed. Lucky seven or games similar to sealed tickets may be sold in paper or electronic form. Notwithstanding the other provisions of this section and section 312, lucky seven games may be conducted during the period beginning 2 hours before and ending 2 hours after a "beano" game. Lucky seven or similar sealed tickets may be purchased by persons who are not purchasing cards to play "beano" after payment of an entrance fee to the licensee.
 
Notwithstanding any other rule, lucky seven or other similar sealed tickets may be sold that have a sale value of $1$20 or less.
 
SUMMARY
This bill provides that Maine State Lottery tickets may be sold at any time during the conduct of "beano" games and that other games of chance may be sold up to 2 hours before "beano" games. Current law provides that they may be sold only one hour prior to the conduct of a "beano" game. This bill also increases the permitted sale value for lucky seven or similar sealed tickets from $1 to $20. Current law provides that lucky seven and similar sealed tickets may be sold only to those purchasing cards to play "beano." This bill permits them to be sold to anyone who has paid an entrance fee.