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(a) No person shall do any of the following:
(1) Engage in bookmaking, or knowingly engage in conduct that facilitates bookmaking.
(2) Establish, promote, or operate or knowingly engage in conduct that facilitates any game of chance conducted for profit or any scheme of chance.
(3) Knowingly procure, transmit, exchange, or engage in conduct that facilitates the procurement, transmission, or exchange of information for use in establishing odds or determining winners in connection with bookmaking or with any game of chance conducted for profit or any scheme of chance.
(4) Engage in betting or in playing any scheme or game of chance as a substantial source of income or livelihood.
(5) Conduct, or participate in the conduct of, a sweepstakes with the use of a sweepstakes terminal device at a sweepstakes terminal device facility and either:
A. Give to another person any item described in R.C. § 2915.01(VV)(1), (VV)(2), (VV)(3), or (VV)(4) as a prize for playing or participating in a sweepstakes; or
B. Give to another person any merchandise prize, or a redeemable voucher for a merchandise prize, the wholesale value of which is in excess of $10 and which is awarded as a single entry for playing or participating in a sweepstakes. Redeemable vouchers shall not be redeemable for a merchandise prize that has a wholesale value of more than $10.
(6) Conduct, or participate in the conduct of, a sweepstakes with the use of a sweepstakes terminal device at a sweepstakes terminal device facility without first obtaining a current annual “certificate of registration” from the Attorney General as required by R.C. § 2915.02(F).
(7) With purpose to violate division (a)(1), (2), (3), (4), (5), or (6) of this section, acquire, possess, control or operate any gambling device.
(b) For purposes of division (a)(1) of this section, a person facilitates bookmaking if the person in any way knowingly aids an illegal bookmaking operation, including, without limitation, placing a bet with a person engaged in or facilitating illegal bookmaking. For purposes of division (a)(2) of this section, a person facilitates a game of chance conducted for profit or a scheme of chance if the person in any way knowingly aids in the conduct or operation of any such game or scheme, including, without limitation, playing any such game or scheme.
(c) This section does not prohibit conduct in connection with gambling expressly permitted by law.
(d) This section does not apply to any of the following:
(1) Games of chance, if all of the following apply:
A. The games of chance are not craps for money or roulette for money.
B. The games of chance are conducted by a charitable organization that is and has received from the Internal Revenue Service a determination letter that is currently in effect, stating that the organization is exempt from federal income taxation under IRC 501(a) and described in IRC 501(c)(3).
C. The games of chance are conducted at festivals of the charitable organization that are conducted not more than a total of five days a calendar year, and are conducted on premises owned by the charitable organization for a period of no less than one year immediately preceding the conducting of the games of chance, on premises leased from a governmental unit, or on premises that are leased from a veteran’s or fraternal organization and that have been owned by the lessor veteran’s or fraternal organization for a period of no less than one year immediately preceding the conducting of the games of chance. A charitable organization shall not lease premises from a veteran’s or fraternal organization to conduct a festival described in this division, if the veteran’s or fraternal organization already has leased the premises 12 times during the preceding year to charitable organizations for that purpose. If a charitable organization leases premises from a veteran’s or fraternal organization to conduct a festival described in this division, the charitable organization shall not pay a rental rate for the premises per day of the festival that exceeds the rental rate per bingo session that a charitable organization may pay under Ohio R.C. 2915.09(B)(1) or a substantially equivalent municipal ordinance when it leases premises from another charitable organization to conduct bingo games.
D. All of the money or assets received from the games of chance after deduction only of prizes paid out during the conduct of the games of chance are used by, given, donated or otherwise transferred to any organization that is described in IRC 509(a)(1), (a)(2), or (a)(3) and is either a governmental unit or an organization that is tax exempt under IRC 501(a) and described in IRC 501(c)(3).
E. The games of chance are not conducted during or within ten hours of a bingo game conducted for amusement purposes only pursuant to Ohio R.C. 2915.12 or a substantially similar municipal ordinance. No person shall receive any commission, wage, salary, reward, tip, donation, gratuity, or other form of compensation, directly or indirectly, for operating or assisting in the operation of any game of chance.
(2) Any tag fishing tournament, as defined in Ohio R.C. 1531.01, operated under a permit issued under Ohio R.C. 1533.92.
(3) Bingo conducted by a charitable organization that holds a license issued under Ohio R.C. 2915.08.
(e) Division (d) of this section shall not be construed to authorize the sale, lease, or other temporary or permanent transfer of the right to conduct games of chance, as granted by that division, by any charitable organization that is granted that right.
(f) Any person desiring to conduct, or participate in the conduct of, a sweepstakes with the use of a sweepstakes terminal device at a sweepstakes terminal device facility shall first register with the Office of the Attorney General and obtain an annual certificate of registration by providing a filing fee of $200 and all information as required by rule adopted under R.C. § 2915.02(H). Not later than the tenth day of each month, each sweepstakes terminal device operator shall file a sweepstakes terminal device monthly report with the Attorney General and provide a filing fee of $50 and all information required by rule adopted under R.C. § 2915.02(H). All information provided to the Attorney General under this division shall be available to law enforcement upon request.
(g) (1) A person may apply to the Attorney General, on a form prescribed by the Attorney General, for a certificate of compliance that the person is not operating a sweepstakes terminal device facility. The form shall require the person to include the address of the business location where sweepstakes terminal devices will be used and to make the following certifications:
A. That the person will not use more than two sweepstakes terminal devices at the business location;
B. That the retail value of sweepstakes prizes to be awarded at the business location using sweepstakes terminal devices during a reporting period will be less than 3% of the gross revenue received at the business location during the reporting period;
C. That no other form of gaming except lottery ticket sales as authorized under R.C. Chapter 3770 will be conducted at the business location or in an adjoining area of the business location;
D. That any sweepstakes terminal device at the business location will not allow any deposit of any money, coin, or token, or the use of any credit card, debit card, prepaid card, or any other method of similar payment to be used, directly or indirectly, to participate in a sweepstakes;
E. That notification of any prize will not take place on the same day as a participant’s sweepstakes entry; and
F. That the person consents to provide any other information to the Attorney General as required by rule adopted under R.C. § 2915.02(H).
(2) The filing fee for a certificate of compliance is $250. The Attorney General may charge up to an additional $250 for reasonable expenses resulting from any investigation related to an application for a certificate of compliance.
(3) A certificate of compliance is effective for one year. The certificate holder may reapply for a certificate of compliance. A person issued a certificate of compliance shall file semiannual reports with the Attorney General stating the number of sweepstakes terminal devices at the business location and that the retail value of prizes awarded at the business location using sweepstakes terminal devices is less than 3% of the gross revenue received at the business location.
(h) Whoever violates this section is guilty of gambling, a misdemeanor of the first degree. If the offender previously has been convicted of any gambling offense, gambling is a felony to be prosecuted under appropriate State law. Notwithstanding this division, failing to file a sweepstakes terminal device monthly report as required by division (f) of this section or the semiannual report required by division (g) of this section is a misdemeanor of the first degree.
(ORC 2915.02(A) - (G), (K))
(a) No person, being the owner or lessee, or having custody, control, or supervision of premises, shall:
(1) Use or occupy the premises for gambling in violation of Ohio R.C. 2915.02 or a substantially similar municipal ordinance.
(2) Recklessly permit the premises to be used or occupied for gambling in violation of Ohio R.C. 2915.02 or a substantially similar municipal ordinance.
(b) Whoever violates division (a) of this section is guilty of operating a gambling house, a misdemeanor of the first degree. If the offender previously has been convicted of a gambling offense, operating a gambling house is a felony to be prosecuted under appropriate State law.
(c) Premises used or occupied in violation of this section constitute a nuisance subject to abatement under Ohio R.C. Chapter 3767.
(ORC 2915.03)
(a) No person, while at a hotel, restaurant, tavern, store, arena, hall, or other place of public accommodation, business, amusement, or resort shall make a bet or play any game of chance or scheme of chance.
(b) No person, being the owner or lessee, or having custody, control, or supervision of a hotel, restaurant, tavern, store, arena, hall, or other place of public accommodation, business, amusement, or resort shall recklessly permit those premises to be used or occupied in violation of division (a) of this section.
(c) Divisions (a) and (b) of this section do not prohibit conduct in connection with gambling expressly permitted by law.
(d) Whoever violates this section is guilty of public gaming. Except as otherwise provided in this division, public gaming is a minor misdemeanor. If the offender previously has been convicted of any gambling offense, public gaming is a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.
(e) Premises used or occupied in violation of division (b) of this section constitute a nuisance subject to abatement under R.C. Chapter 3767.
(ORC 2915.04)
(a) No person, with purpose to defraud or knowing that the person is facilitating a fraud, shall engage in conduct designed to corrupt the outcome of any of the following:
(1) The subject of a bet.
(2) A contest of knowledge, skill, or endurance that is not an athletic or sporting event.
(3) A scheme or game of chance.
(4) Bingo.
(b) No person shall knowingly do any of the following:
(1) Offer, give, solicit, or accept anything of value to corrupt the outcome of an athletic or sporting event.
(2) Engage in conduct designed to corrupt the outcome of an athletic or sporting event.
(c) (1) Whoever violates division (a) of this section is guilty of cheating. Except as otherwise provided in this division, cheating is a misdemeanor of the first degree. If the potential gain from the cheating is one thousand dollars ($1,000) or more or if the offender previously has been convicted of any gambling offense or of any theft offense as defined in Ohio R.C. 2913.01, cheating is a felony to be prosecuted under appropriate State law.
(2) Whoever violates division (b) of this section is guilty of corrupting sports. Corrupting sports is a felony to be prosecuted under appropriate State law.
(ORC 2915.05)
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