(a) A charitable organization that conducts a bingo game shall do all of the following:
(1) Own all of the equipment used to conduct the bingo game or lease that equipment from a charitable organization that is licensed to conduct a bingo game for a rental rate that is not more than is customary and reasonable for that equipment;
(2) Use all of the gross receipts from the bingo game for paying prizes, for the charitable purposes listed in its bingo license application, for purchasing or leasing bingo cards and other equipment used in conducting the bingo game, hiring security personnel for the bingo game, or advertising the bingo game, provided that the amount of the receipts so spent is not more than is customary and reasonable for a similar purchase, lease, hiring or advertising, and for renting premises in which to conduct the bingo game, except that if the building in which the game is conducted is owned by the charitable organization conducting the game, the charitable organization may deduct from the total amount of the gross receipts from each session a sum equal to the lesser of four hundred fifty dollars ($450.00) or forty- five percent of the gross receipts from the session as consideration for the use of the premises;
(3) Conduct the bingo game on premises that are owned by the charitable organization, on premises that are owned by another charitable organization and leased from that charitable organization for a rental rate not in excess of two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00) per bingo session, on premises that are leased from a person other than a charitable organization for a rental rate that is not more than is customary and reasonable for premises that are similar in location, size and quality, but not in excess of two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00) per bingo session, or on premises that are owned by a person other than a charitable organization, that are leased from that person by another charitable organization, and that are subleased from that other charitable organization by the charitable organization for a rental rate not in excess of two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00) per bingo session. If the charitable organization leases from a person other then a charitable organization the premises on which it conducts bingo games, the lessor of the premises shall provide only the premises to the organization and shall not provide the organization with bingo game operators, security personnel, concessions or concession operators, bingo equipment, or any other type of service or equipment. A charitable organization shall not lease or sublease premises that it owns or leases to more than one other charitable organization per calendar week for the purpose of conducting bingo games on the premises. A person that is not a charitable organization shall not lease premises that it owns, leases or otherwise is empowered to lease to more than one charitable organization per calendar week for conducting bingo games on the premises. In no case shall more than two bingo sessions be conducted on any premises in any calendar week.
(4) Display its bingo license conspicuously at the location where the bingo game is conducted;
(5) Conduct the bingo game in accordance with the definition of bingo set forth in Section 517.01(s)(1).
(b) A charitable organization that conducts a bingo game shall not do any of the following:
(1) Pay any compensation to a bingo game operator for operating a bingo game that is conducted by the charitable organization or for preparing, selling or serving food or beverages at the site of the bingo game, permit any auxiliary unit or society of the charitable organization to pay compensation to any bingo game operator who prepares, sells or serves food or beverages at a bingo session conducted by the charitable organization, or permit any auxiliary unit or society of the charitable organization to prepare, sell or serve food or beverages at a bingo session conducted by the charitable organization, if the auxiliary unit or society pays any compensation to the bingo game operators who prepare, sell or serve the food or beverages;
(2) Pay consulting fees to any person for any services performed in relation to the bingo game;
(3) Pay concession fees to any person who provides refreshments to the participants in the bingo game; (A.O.)
(4) Conduct more than two bingo sessions in any seven-day period. Except that a volunteer firefighter’s organization or a volunteer rescue service organization that conducts not more than five bingo sessions in a calendar year may conduct more than two bingo sessions in a seven-day period after notifying the Ohio Attorney General when it will conduct the sessions;
(Ord. 20-02. Passed 4-15-2002.)
(5) Pay out more than three thousand five hundred dollars ($3,500) in prizes during any bingo session that is conducted by the charitable organization;
(6) Conduct a bingo session at any time during the ten-hour period between 12:00 midnight and 10:00 a.m., at any time during, or within ten hours of, a bingo game conducted for amusement only pursuant to Section 517.09, at any location not specified on its bingo license, or on any day of the week or during any time period not specified on its bingo license. If circumstances beyond its control make it impossible for the charitable organization to conduct a bingo session at the location specified on its bingo license, or if a charitable organization wants to conduct bingo sessions on a day of the week or at a time other than the day or time specified on its bingo license, the charitable organization may apply in writing to the Ohio Attorney General for an amended bingo license, pursuant to Ohio R.C. 2915.08(F). A charitable organization may apply only once in each calendar year for an amended license to conduct bingo sessions on a day of the week or at a time other than the day or time specified on its bingo license. If the amended license is granted, the organization may conduct bingo sessions at the location, on the day of the week and at the time specified on its amended license
(7) Permit any person whom the charitable organization knows, or should have known, is under the age of eighteen, to work as a bingo game operator;
(8) Permit any person whom the charitable organization knows, or should have known, has been convicted of a felony or gambling offense in any jurisdiction, to be a bingo game operator;
(9) Permit the lessor of the premises on which bingo is conducted, if the lessor is not a charitable organization, to provide the charitable organization with bingo game operators, security personnel, concessions, bingo equipment or any other type of service or equipment.
(c) A bingo game operator shall not receive or accept any commission, wage, salary, reward, tip, donation, gratuity or other form of compensation, directly or indirectly, regardless of the source, for operating a bingo game or providing other work or labor at the site of the bingo game.
(d) Notwithstanding paragraph (a)(3) hereof, a charitable organization that, prior to December 6, 1977, has entered into written agreements for the lease of premises it owns to another charitable organization or other charitable organizations for the conducting of bingo sessions so that more than two bingo sessions are conducted per calendar week on the premises, and a person that is not a charitable organization and that, prior to December 6, 1977, has entered into written agreements for the lease of premises it owns to charitable organizations for the conducting of more than two bingo sessions per calendar week on the premises, may continue to lease the premises to those charitable organizations, provided that no more than four sessions are conducted per calendar week, that the lessor organization or person has notified the Ohio Attorney General in writing of the organizations that will conduct the sessions and the days of the week and the times of the day on which the sessions will be conducted, that the initial lease entered into with each organization that will conduct the sessions was filed with the Ohio Attorney General prior to December 6, 1977, and that each organization that will conduct the sessions was issued a license to conduct bingo games by the Ohio Attorney General prior to December 6, 1977.
(e) Whoever violates paragraph (a)(2) hereof shall be punished as provided in Ohio R.C. 2915.09(C). Whoever violates any of the other provisions of this section is guilty of a minor misdemeanor for a first offense and a misdemeanor of the first degree for any subsequent offense.
(ORC 2915.09)