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517.08 BINGO OPERATOR PROHIBITIONS.
   (a)   No person shall be a bingo game operator unless the person is 18 years of age or older.
   (b)   No person who has been convicted of a felony or a gambling offense in any jurisdiction shall be a bingo game operator.
   (c)   Whoever violates division (a) of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor of the third degree. Whoever violates division (b) of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree.
(ORC 2915.11)
517.09 BINGO EXCEPTIONS.
   (a)   Sections 517.06 to 517.13 do not apply to bingo games that are conducted for the purpose of amusement only. A bingo game is conducted for the purpose of amusement only if it complies with all of the requirements specified in either division (a)(1) or (a)(2) of this section.
      (1)   A.   The participants do not pay any money or any other thing of value, including an admission fee or any fee, for bingo cards or sheets, objects to cover the spaces, or other devices used in playing bingo, for the privilege of participating in the bingo game, or to defray any costs of the game, or pay tips or make donations during or immediately before or after the bingo game.
         B.   All prizes awarded during the course of the game are non-monetary, and in the form of merchandise, goods, or entitlement to goods or services only, and the total value of all prizes awarded during the game is less than one hundred dollars ($100.00).
         C.   No commission, wages, salary, reward, tip, donation, gratuity, or other form of compensation, either directly or indirectly, and regardless of the source, is paid to any bingo game operator for work or labor performed at the site of the bingo game.
         D.   The bingo game is not conducted either during or within ten hours of any of the following:
            1.   A bingo session during which a charitable bingo game is conducted pursuant to Ohio R.C. 2915.07 through 2915.11 or any substantially similar municipal ordinance.
            2.   A scheme or game of chance, or bingo described in Ohio R.C. 2915.01(O)(2).
         E.   The number of players participating in the bingo game does not exceed 50.
      (2)   A.   The participants do not pay money or any other thing of value as an admission fee, and no participant is charged more than twenty-five cents ($0.25) to purchase a bingo card or sheet, objects to cover the spaces, or other devices used in playing bingo.
         B.   The total amount of money paid by all of the participants for bingo cards or sheets, objects to cover the spaces, or other devices used in playing bingo does not exceed one hundred dollars ($100.00).
         C.   All of the money paid for bingo cards or sheets, objects to cover spaces, or other devices used in playing bingo is used only to pay winners monetary and nonmonetary prizes and to provide refreshments.
         D.   The total value of all prizes awarded during the game does not exceed one hundred dollars ($100.00).
         E.   No commission, wages, salary, reward, tip, donation, gratuity, or other form of compensation, either directly or indirectly, and regardless of the source, is paid to any bingo game operator for work or labor performed at the site of the bingo game.
         F.   The bingo game is not conducted during or within ten hours of either of the following:
            1.   A bingo session during which a charitable bingo game is conducted pursuant to Ohio R.C. 2915.07 through 2915.11 or any substantially similar municipal ordinance;
            2.   A scheme of chance or a game of chance, or bingo described in Ohio R.C. 2915.01(O)(2).
         G.   All of the participants reside at the premises where the bingo game is conducted.
         H.   The bingo games are conducted on different days of the week and not more than twice in a calendar week.
   (b)   The Attorney General, or any local law enforcement agency, may investigate the conduct of a bingo game that purportedly is conducted for purposes of amusement only if there is reason to believe that the purported amusement bingo game does not comply with the requirements of either division (a)(1) or (2) of this section. A local law enforcement agency may proceed by action in the proper court to enforce this section if the local law enforcement agency gives written notice to the Attorney General when commencing the action.
(ORC 2915.12)
517.10 PROHIBITIONS WHERE INSTANT BINGO GAME IS CONDUCTED.
   (a)   No charitable organization that conducts instant bingo shall do any of the following:
      (1)   Fail to comply with the requirements of Ohio R.C. 2915.09(A)(1), (A)(2), and (A)(3), or any substantially similar municipal ordinance;
      (2)   Conduct instant bingo unless either of the following apply:
         A.   That organization 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), is described in IRC 501(c)(3), is a charitable organization as defined in Ohio R.C. 2915.01, is in good standing in the State pursuant to Ohio R.C. 2915.08, and is in compliance with Ohio R.C. Chapter 1716;
         B.   That organization 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), is described in IRC 501(c)(7), (c)(8), (c)(10), or (c)(19) or is a veteran’s organization described in IRC 501(c)(4), and conducts instant bingo under Ohio R.C. 2915.13.
      (3)   Conduct instant bingo on any day, at any time, or at any premises not specified on the organization's license issued pursuant to Ohio R.C. 2915.08;
      (4)   Permit any person whom the organization knows or should have known has been convicted of a felony or gambling offense in any jurisdiction to be a bingo game operator in the conduct of instant bingo;
      (5)   Purchase or lease supplies used to conduct instant bingo or punch board games from any person except a distributor licensed under Ohio R.C. 2915.081;
      (6)   Sell or provide any instant bingo ticket or card for a price different from the price printed on it by the manufacturer on either the instant bingo ticket or card or on the game flare;
      (7)   Sell an instant bingo ticket or card to a person under 18 years of age;
      (8)   Fail to keep unsold instant bingo tickets or cards for less than three years;
      (9)   Pay any compensation to a bingo game operator for conducting instant bingo that is conducted by the organization or for preparing, selling, or serving food or beverages at the site of the instant bingo game, permit any auxiliary unit or society of the organization to pay compensation to any bingo game operator who prepares, sells, or serves food or beverages at an instant bingo game conducted by the organization, or permit any auxiliary unit or society of the organization to prepare, sell, or serve food or beverages at an instant bingo game conducted by the organization, if the auxiliary unit or society pays any compensation to the bingo game operators who prepare, sell, or serve the food or beverages;
      (10)   Pay fees to any person for any services performed in relation to an instant bingo game, except as provided in Ohio R.C. 2915.096(D);
      (11)   Pay fees to any person who provides refreshments to the participants in an instant bingo game;
      (12)   A.   Allow instant bingo tickets or cards to be sold to bingo game operators at a premises at which the organization sells instant bingo tickets or cards or to be sold to employees of a D permit holder who are working at a premises at which instant bingo tickets or cards are sold;
         B.   Division (a)(12)A. of this section does not prohibit a licensed charitable organization or a bingo game operator from giving any person an instant bingo ticket as a prize.
      (13)   Fail to display its bingo license, and the serial numbers of the deal of instant bingo tickets or cards to be sold, conspicuously at each premises at which it sells instant bingo tickets or cards;
      (14)   Possess a deal of instant bingo tickets or cards that was not purchased from a distributor licensed under Ohio R.C. 2915.081 as reflected on an invoice issued by the distributor that contains all of the information required by Ohio R.C. 2915.10(E);
      (15)   Fail, once it opens a deal of instant bingo tickets or cards, to continue to sell the tickets or cards in that deal until the tickets or cards with the top two highest tiers of prizes in that deal are sold;
      (16)   Purchase, lease, or use instant bingo ticket dispensers to sell instant bingo tickets or cards;
      (17)   Possess bingo supplies that were not obtained in accordance with Ohio R.C. Chapter 2915.
   (b)   A charitable organization may purchase, lease, or use instant bingo ticket dispensers to sell instant bingo tickets or cards.
   (c)   Pursuant to Ohio R.C. 2915.091(C), the Attorney General may adopt rules in accordance with Ohio R.C. Chapter 119 that govern the conduct of instant bingo by charitable organizations.
   (d)   Whoever violates division (a) of this section or a rule adopted under division (c) of this section is guilty of illegal instant bingo conduct. Except as otherwise provided in this division, illegal instant bingo conduct is a misdemeanor of the first degree. If the offender previously has been convicted of a violation of division (a) of this section or of such a rule adopted under division (c) of this section, illegal instant bingo conduct is a felony to be prosecuted under appropriate State law.
(ORC 2915.091)
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