PRINTER'S NO. 1639
No. 1332 Session of 2003
INTRODUCED BY GEORGE, BEBKO-JONES, BELFANTI, BUNT, COSTA, CURRY,
DeWEESE, EGOLF, FABRIZIO, GINGRICH, GRUCELA, HARHAI, HERMAN,
HERSHEY, HORSEY, JAMES, KOTIK, LAUGHLIN, LEVDANSKY, MARKOSEK,
McILHATTAN, ROONEY, SAINATO, SHANER, SOLOBAY, STABACK,
WASHINGTON AND YOUNGBLOOD, MAY 5, 2003
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY, MAY 5, 2003
AN ACT
1 Amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania
2 Consolidated Statutes, providing for the offense of unlawful
3 bingo activities.
4 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
5 hereby enacts as follows:
6 Section 1. Title 18 of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
7 Statutes is amended by adding a section to read:
8 § 5513.1. Unlawful bingo activities.
9 (a) Summary offense.--Any association violating the
10 provisions of the act of July 10, 1981 (P.L.214, No.67), known
11 as the Bingo Law, commits a summary offense and shall, upon
12 conviction, be sentenced to pay a fine not exceeding $1,000 and
13 shall forfeit any license issued to the association, and it
14 shall be ineligible for a license renewal for 30 months
15 thereafter.
16 (b) Misdemeanor.--Any person who conducts or assists in the
17 conducting of bingo in violation of the Bingo Law commits a
1 misdemeanor of the first degree. Any person who permits the
2 conduct of bingo on the same premises, owned by him or leased to
3 him, on more than five days in any one week or by more than one
4 association in any calendar day, except for bingo being played
5 at an exposition, carnival or fair, commits a misdemeanor of the
6 first degree.
7 (c) Construction.--It shall not be a violation of this
8 section or the Bingo Law for a person to organize and conduct a
9 promotional contest using the rules of bingo where prizes are
10 awarded, provided that:
11 (1) The persons who participate in the promotional
12 contest do not pay any fee or risk anything of value in the
13 event.
14 (2) The prizes for winning the promotional contest are
15 sold on-site and retail for $10 or less.
16 (3) Alcohol is not used as a prize or served on the
17 premises where the promotional contest is held.
18 (d) Definitions.--The words and phrases used in this section
19 shall have the same meaning given to them in the Bingo Law.
20 Section 2. Section 7 of the act of July 10, 1981 (P.L.214,
21 No.67), known as the Bingo Law, is repealed.
22 Section 3. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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