(a) No person shall:
(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 scheme or game of chance conducted for profit;
(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 scheme or game of chance conducted for profit;
(4) Engage in betting or in playing any scheme or game of chance, except for a charitable bingo game, as a substantial source of income or livelihood;
(5) With purpose to violate paragraph (a)(1), (2), (3) or (4) hereof, acquire, possess, control or operate any gambling device.
(b) For purposes of paragraph (a)(1) hereof 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 paragraph (a)(2) hereof a person facilitates a scheme or game of chance conducted for profit if the person in any way knowingly aids in the conduct or operation of any such scheme or game, including, without limitation, playing any such scheme or game.
(c) This section does not prohibit conduct in connection with gambling expressly permitted by law.
(d) This section does not apply to:
(1) Schemes of chance 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 subsection 501(a) and described in subsection 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, provided that all of the money or assets received from such scheme of chance after deduction only of prizes paid out during the conduct of the scheme of chance are used by, or given, donated or otherwise transferred to, any organization that is described in subsection 509(a)(1), 509(a)(2) or 509(a)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and is either a governmental unit or an organization that is tax exempt under subsection 501(a) and described in subsection 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and provided that the scheme of chance is not conducted during, or within ten hours of, a bingo game conducted for amusement purposes only pursuant to Section 630.09;
(2) Games of chance, if all of the following apply:
A. The games of chance are not craps for money, roulette for money or slot machines;
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 subsection 501(a) and described in subsection 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code;
C. The games of chance are conducted at festivals of the organization that are conducted either for a period of four consecutive days or less and not more than twice a year or for a period of five consecutive days not more than once a 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 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 paragraph if the veteran's or fraternal organization has already leased the premises four 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 paragraph, 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 Section 630.06(a)(3) 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, or given, donated or otherwise transferred to, any organization that is described in subsection 509(a)(1), 509(a)(2) or 509(a)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and is either a governmental unit or an organization that is tax exempt under subsection 501(a) and described in subsection 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code;
E. The games of chance are not conducted during, or within ten hours of, a bingo game conducted for amusement only pursuant to Section 630.09.
(3) Any tag fishing tournament operated under a permit issued under Ohio R.C. 1533.92, as “tag fishing tournament” is defined in Ohio R.C. 1531.01.
(e) 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 scheme or game of chance.
(f) Subsection (d) hereof shall not be construed to authorize the sale, lease or other temporary or permanent transfer of the right to conduct schemes of chance or games of chance, as granted by subsection (d) hereof, by any charitable organization that is granted that right.
(g) Whoever violates this section is guilty of gambling, a misdemeanor of the first degree, provided the offender previously has not been convicted of any gambling offense. The penalty shall be as provided in Section 698.02. (ORC 2915.02)