New Jersey-2010-A2414-Introduced

An Act permitting veterans' organizations to use net proceeds from games of chance for organizations' support and amending P.L.1954, c.5 and P.L.1954, c.6.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. Section 2 of P.L.1954, c.6 (C.5:8-25) is amended to read as follows:

2. It shall be lawful for the governing body of any municipality, at any time after this act shall become operative within such municipality and except when prohibited by this act, to license bona fide organizations or associations of veterans of any war in which the United States has been engaged, churches or religious congregations and religious organizations, charitable, educational and fraternal organizations, civic and service clubs, senior citizen associations and clubs, officially recognized volunteer fire companies, and officially recognized volunteer first aid or rescue squads, to hold and operate games of chance of, and restricted to, the specific kind of game of chance commonly known as bingo or lotto played for prizes with cards bearing numbers or other designations, five or more in one line, the holder covering numbers, as objects, similarly numbered, are drawn from a receptacle and the game being won by the person who first covers a previously designated arrangement of numbers on such a card, by selling shares or tickets or rights to participate in such games and by conducting the games accordingly, when the entire net proceeds of such games of chance are to be devoted to educational, charitable, patriotic, religious or public-spirited uses, and, in the case of organizations or associations of veterans, and senior citizen associations or clubs, to the support of such organizations, and for any such organization, association, church, congregation, society, club, fire company, first aid or rescue squad, or senior citizen association or club, when so licensed, to hold, operate and conduct such games of chance by its active members pursuant to this act and such license, and under such conditions and regulations for the supervision and conduct thereof as shall be prescribed by rules and regulations duly adopted from time to time by the Legalized Games of Chance Control Commission, hereinafter designated as the control commission, not inconsistent with the provisions of this act, but only when the entire net proceeds thereof are devoted to the uses aforesaid and for any person or persons to participate in and play such games of chance conducted under any such license.

The control commission shall, pursuant to regulations promulgated by it, authorize the use in conducting bingo or lotto of electronic devices that are the functional equivalent of the cards, numbered objects, and receptacle described herein to the extent that the use of such devices is not inconsistent with any other provision of this act or the provisions of subparagraph A of the New Jersey Constitution, Article IV, Section 7, paragraph 2. Any such electronic device shall comply with specifications prescribed by the commission and shall be approved by the commission prior to use. Such devices shall not include any device into which currency, coins or tokens may be inserted or from which currency, coins or tokens, or any receipt for monetary value, can be dispensed or which, once provided to a person participating in bingo, is capable of communicating with other such devices. Nothing contained in this section shall be construed as allowing electronic devices used by a qualified organization in conducting bingo or lotto to be linked to electronic devices used by any other qualified organization in conducting bingo or lotto.

(cf: P.L.2005, c.140, s.1)

2. Section 2 of P.L.1954, c.5 (C.5:8-51) is amended to read as follows:

2. a. It shall be lawful for the governing body of any municipality, at any time after this act shall become operative within such municipality and except when prohibited by this act, to license bona fide organizations or associations of veterans of any war in which the United States has been engaged, churches or religious congregations and religious organizations, charitable, educational and fraternal organizations, civic and service clubs, senior citizen associations and clubs, officially recognized volunteer fire companies, and officially recognized volunteer first aid or rescue squads, to hold and operate the specific kind of game or games of chance commonly known as a raffle or raffles played by drawing for prizes or the allotment of prizes by chance, by the selling of shares or tickets or rights to participate in such game or games and by conducting the game or games accordingly, when the entire net proceeds of such games of chance are to be devoted to educational, charitable, patriotic, religious or public-spirited uses, and in the case of organizations or associations of veterans, and senior citizen associations and clubs to the support of these organizations, and for any such organization or association, church, congregation, society, club, company or squad, when so licensed or without any license when and as hereinafter prescribed, to hold, operate and conduct such game of chance pursuant to this act and such license, in such municipality and to sell shares or tickets or rights to participate in such game or games of chance therein and in any other municipality which shall have adopted this act and under such conditions and regulations for the supervision and conduct thereof as shall be prescribed by rules and regulations duly adopted from time to time by the Legalized Games of Chance Control Commission, hereinafter designated as the control commission, not inconsistent with the provisions of this act, but only when the entire net proceeds thereof are devoted to the uses aforesaid and for any person or persons to participate in and play such games of chance conducted under any such license.

b. The control commission may adopt regulations authorizing licensees to hold events known as:

"armchair races" at which wagers are placed on the outcome of previously-filmed horse races and wagerers do not know the results in advance, when the prize awarded consists of merchandise or raffle tickets only, and not cash; and

"casino nights" at which players use chips or script purchased from the licensee to wager in games of chance known as blackjack, under/over, beat-the-dealer, chuck-a-luck, craps, roulette, bingo or similar games approved by the commission, when the chips or script are redeemable for merchandise or raffle tickets only, and not for cash.

The regulations shall establish the frequency with which these events may be held, the rules of the games, the specific type and value of prizes which may be offered, the qualifications of the individuals conducting the games and other requirements which the commission may deem pertinent.

c. No license shall be required for the holding, operating or conducting of a raffle for a door prize of donated merchandise of the value of less than $50.00 for which no extra charge is made at an assemblage at which no other game of chance is held, operated or conducted, if the proceeds of such assemblage are devoted to the uses described in this section.

(cf: P.L.1999, c.17, s.2)

3. This act shall take effect upon the approval by the voters of amendments to the Constitution of the State of New Jersey to allow bona fide veterans' organizations or associations, registered with the New Jersey Legalized Games of Chance Control Commission and licensed by a municipality, to use net proceeds from games of chance for support of the organization proposed pursuant to Senate Concurrent Resolution ______ of 2010 or a substantially similar amendment.

STATEMENT

Under current law, net proceeds of games of chance, commonly known as bingo, lotto or raffles, are to be devoted to educational, charitable, patriotic, religious or public-spirited uses. This bill would permit bona fide veterans' organizations or associations, registered with the New Jersey Legalized Games of Chance Control Commission and licensed by a municipality, to use the net proceeds from games of chance for the support of the organization. Cost increases in electric, gas, oil and other utilities support the need for this provision.

This bill is contingent upon the passage of a constitutional amendment to allow veterans' organizations or associations to use net proceeds from games of chance for support of the organization.