THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

SENATE BILL

INTRODUCED BY BOSCOLA, TARTAGLIONE, FONTANA, BROWNE AND WASHINGTON, APRIL 5, 2012

REFERRED TO JUDICIARY, APRIL 5, 2012  

AN ACT

Amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania

Consolidated Statutes, further providing for pool selling and

bookmaking.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

hereby enacts as follows:

Section 1.  Section 5514 of Title 18 of the Pennsylvania

Consolidated Statutes is amended to read:

§ 5514.  Pool selling and bookmaking.

[A] (a)  Offense defined.--Except as provided in subsection

(b), a person is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree if

he:

(1)  engages in pool selling or bookmaking;

(2)  occupies any place for the purpose of receiving,

recording or registering bets or wagers, or of selling pools;

(3)  receives, records, registers, forwards, or purports

or pretends to forward, to another, any bet or wager upon the

result of any political nomination, appointment or election,

or upon any contest of any nature;

(4)  becomes the custodian or depository, for gain or

ward, of any property staked, wagered or pledged, or to be

staked, wagered, or pledged upon any such result; or

(5)  being the owner, lessee, or occupant of any

premises, knowingly permits or suffers the same, to be used

or occupied for any of such purposes.

(b)  Authorized pools.--Any person who conducts or

participates in a pool is not subject to prosecution under

subsection (a) if all of the following apply:

(1)  Not more than 100 individuals participate in the

pool.

(2)  The maximum amount wagered for each individual entry

in the pool is $20.

(3)  Other than the wager no other money or thing of

value is paid or given for participation in the pool.

(4)  All wagers collected for entry into the pool are

paid as prizes to one or more participants in the pool or to

a clearly identified nonprofit organization.

(5)  No wagers or portions thereof are retained by the

person or entity operating the pool and collecting wagers for

participation.

(6)  The transaction of entering the pool is incidental

to a bona fide social relationship.

Section 2.  This act shall take effect in 60 days.