§ 135.02 GAMBLING.
   (A)   A person commits gambling when, within the corporate limits of the city, he or she:
      (1)   Plays a game of chance or skill for money or other thing of value, unless excepted in subsection (B) below;
      (2)   Makes a wager upon the result of any game, contest or any political nomination, appointment or election;
      (3)   Operates, keeps, owns, uses, purchases, exhibits, rents, sells, bargains for the sale or lease of, manufactures or distributes any gambling device;
      (4)   Contracts to have or give himself, herself or another the option to buy or sell, or contracts to buy or sell, at a future time, any grain or other commodity whatsoever, or any stock or security of any company, as described in 720 ILCS 5/28-1(a)(4);
      (5)   Knowingly owns or possesses any book, instrument or apparatus by means of which bets or wagers have been, or are, recorded or registered, or knowingly possesses any money which he or she has received in the courses of a bet or wager;
      (6)   Sells pools upon the result of any game or contest of skill or chance, political nomination, appointment or election;
      (7)   Sets up or promotes any lottery or sells, offers to sell or transfers any ticket or share for any lottery;
      (8)   Sets up or promotes any policy game or sells, offers to sell or knowingly possesses or transfers any policy ticket, slip, record, document or other similar device;
      (9)   Knowingly drafts, prints or publishes any lottery ticker or share, or any policy ticket, slip, record, document or similar device, except for such activity related to lotteries, bingo games, and raffles authorized by and conducted in accordance with the laws of the state or any other state or foreign government;
      (10)   Knowingly advertises any lottery or policy game, except for such activity related to lotteries, bingo games and raffles authorized by and conducted in accordance with the laws of Illinois or any other state;
      (11)   Knowingly transmits information as to wagers, betting odds or changes in betting odds by telephone, telegraph, radio, semaphore or similar means; or knowingly installs or maintains equipment for the transmission or receipt of such information; except that, nothing in this subsection (A)(11) prohibits transmission or receipt of such information for use in news reporting of sporting events or contests; or
      (12)   Knowingly establishes, maintains or operates an internet site that permits a person to play a game of chance or skill for money or other thing of value by means of the internet or to make a wager upon the result of any game, contest, political nomination, appointment or election by means of the internet.
   (B)   Participants in any of the following activities shall not be convicted of gambling:
      (1)   Agreements to compensate for loss caused by the happening of chance including, without limitation, contracts of indemnity or guaranty and life or health or accident insurance;
      (2)   Offers of prizes, awards or compensation to the actual contestants in any bona fide contest for the determination of skill, speed, strength or endurance or to the owners of animals or vehicles entered in such contest;
      (3)   Pari-mutuel betting as authorized by the law of the state;
      (4)   Manufacture of gambling devices, including the acquisition of essential parts therefor and the assembly thereof, for transportation in interstate or foreign commerce to any place outside the state when such transportation is not prohibited by any applicable federal law;
      (5)   The game commonly known as “bingo”, when conducted in accordance with 230 ILCS 25/1 et seq.;
      (6)   Lotteries when conducted by the state in accordance with 20 ILCS 1605/1 et seq.;
      (7)   Possession of an antique slot machine that is neither used nor intended to be used in the operation or promotion of any unlawful gambling activity or enterprise. For the purpose of this subsection (B)(7), an ANTIQUE SLOT MACHINE is one manufactured 25 years ago or earlier;
      (8)   Raffles when conducted in accordance with 230 ILCS 15/1 et seq.;
      (9)   Charitable games when conducted in accordance with 230 ILCS 30/1 et seq.;
      (10)   Pull tabs and jar games when conducted under 230 ILCS 20/1 et seq.;
      (11)   Gambling games when authorized under 230 ILCS 10/1 et seq.;
      (12)   Video gaming terminal games at a licensed establishment, licensed truck stop establishment, licensed large truck stop establishment, licensed fraternal establishment, or licensed veterans establishment when conducted in accordance with the Video Gaming Act;
      (13)   Games of skill or chance where money or other things of value can be won, but no payment or purchase is required to participate;
      (14)   Savings promotion raffles authorized under Section 5g of the Illinois Banking Act, Section 7008 of the Savings Bank Act, Section 42.7 of the Illinois Credit Union Act, Section 5136B of the National Bank Act (12 U.S.C. 25a), or Section 4 of the Home Owners’ Loan Act (12 U.S.C. 1463); and
      (15)   Sports wagering when conducted in accordance with 230 ILCS 45/1 et seq.
   (C)   Circumstantial evidence. In prosecutions under subsection (A) of this section, circumstantial evidence shall have the same validity and weight as in any criminal prosecution.
(720 ILCS 5/28-1) (2000 Code, § 135.02) Penalty, see § 130.99