PRINTER'S NO. 2681
No. 2109 Session of 1979
INTRODUCED BY ANDERSON, CALTAGIRONE, IRVIS, MANDERINO, GALLEN,
SALVATORE, McINTYRE, POTT, COCHRAN, PERZEL, BROWN, KUKOVICH,
COHEN, CAPPABIANCA, BURNS, STEIGHNER, MILANOVICH, MICOZZIE,
B. F. O'BRIEN, GIAMMARCO, EARLEY, STEWART, REED, LEHR, JONES,
RIEGER, KOWALYSHYN, M. R. CLARK, GRUPPO, SHADDING, SIEMINSKI,
WILSON, CESSAR, BOWSER, McCLATCHY, HELFRICK, MACKOWSKI,
SWIFT, McVERRY, TELEK, CORNELL, NAHILL, GOEBEL, PIEVSKY,
WHITE, OLIVER, J. J. JOHNSON, GRAY, BORSKI, McMONAGLE,
DOMBROWSKI, TRELLO, B. D. CLARK, GATSKI, NOVAK, DAVIES,
PRATT AND SCIRICA, DECEMBER 13, 1979
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, DECEMBER 13, 1979
AN ACT
1 Relating to the lawful conduct of bingo, prescribing penalties
2 and making a repeal.
3 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
4 hereby enacts as follows:
5 Section 1. Short title.
6 This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Bingo Law."
7 Section 2. Definitions.
8 The following words and phrases when used in this act, shall
9 have, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the
10 meanings given to them in this section:
11 "Association." A volunteer fire company, ambulance
12 association or a religious, charitable, fraternal, veterans,
13 civic, agricultural or other association organized as a
14 nonprofit organization.
1 "Bingo." A game in which each player has a card or board
2 containing five horizontal rows all but the central one
3 containing five figures. The central row has four figures with
4 the word "free" marked in the center thereof. Any preannounced
5 combination of spaces when completed by a player constitutes
6 bingo. In the absence of a preannouncement of a combination of
7 spaces, any combination of five in a row whether horizontal or
8 vertical when completed by a player constitutes bingo when its
9 four members are announced and covered. A wheel or other
10 mechanical device may be used by any person conducting the game
11 of bingo, and any such person may award to any player or players
12 first completing any combination constituting bingo a prize so
13 long as such prize awarded shall not exceed a value of $1,000
14 for any one such game of bingo except for jackpot games which
15 shall not exceed $5,000 for one such game of bingo.
16 "Charitable purpose." Benevolent or philanthropic purpose.
17 "Civic purpose." Community purpose.
18 Section 3. Associations permitted to conduct bingo.
19 Any association, for a charitable or civic purpose, when
20 licensed pursuant to this act, may conduct the game of bingo as
21 herein defined.
22 Section 4. Rules for licensing.
23 (a) In every county, the county treasurer shall license,
24 upon application, any association to conduct the game of bingo
25 at one location in the county. The license fee to be charged to
26 each nonprofit association shall be $100 per annum. The license
27 fee to be charged to each agricultural association or county
28 fair shall be $100 per annum. The fees collected pursuant to
29 this section shall be paid by the county treasurer into the
30 general fund of the county and used for county purposes.
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1 (b) Licenses issued pursuant to this section shall be
2 publicly displayed at games conducted by licensees.
3 (c) Where the association intends to hire an outside
4 operator to set up and operate bingo, at least 75% of the total
5 receipts must go to the association, except in the case of an
6 agricultural association which may operate bingo for merchandise
7 only.
8 (d) No license shall be issued to any association if:
9 (1) Any person under the age of 18 will be permitted by
10 the association to play bingo.
11 (2) The facility in which any game of bingo is to be
12 played does not have adequate means of ingress and egress or
13 does not have adequate sanitary facilities available in the
14 area.
15 Section 5. Revocation of licenses.
16 The county treasurer shall revoke the license of any
17 association whenever he finds that:
18 (1) Compensation, salary or fee in excess of 25% of
19 receipts are paid to anyone for setting up or conducting the
20 games of bingo.
21 (2) Any of the funds derived from the operation of the
22 game of bingo are used for any purpose other than for
23 charitable, civic or religious work.
24 (3) Any person under the age of 18 is playing bingo as
25 herein defined.
26 (4) The facility in which any game of bingo is played
27 does not have adequate means of ingress and egress or does
28 not have adequate sanitary facilities available in the area.
29 Section 6. Penalty.
30 Any association violating the provisions of this act shall be
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1 guilty of a summary offense, and upon conviction thereof shall
2 be sentenced to pay a fine not exceeding $500 and shall forfeit
3 any license issued to the association, and it shall be
4 ineligible for a license renewal for one year thereafter.
5 Section 7. Repeal.
6 The provisions of Title 18 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
7 Statutes (relating to crimes and offenses) are repealed to the
8 extent that they are inconsistent with this act.
9 Section 8. Effective date.
10 This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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