HF4273

Purpose

This bill changes rules about who can participate in lawful gambling at certain premises. It aims to allow lessor employees to play pulltab games when they are off duty, while keeping safeguards to prevent participation during work hours or while actively involved in gambling duties.

Main Provisions

• Defines volunteers as people who are not paid by an organization but help with lawful gambling, and outlines what counts as “conduct” for pulltabs, tipboards, paddlewheels, and bingo (e.g., selling tickets, redeeming tickets, auditing games, completing records, spinning the paddlewheel, deposits, and inventory).

• Adds restrictions on volunteers involved in small-tipboards (32 chances per game) or paddlewheel games without a paddlewheel table:

  • They may not participate as a player in electronic linked bingo, pulltabs, tipboards, or paddlewheel games at the same premises on the same business day they were involved in conducting those games.

• Prohibits an employee or volunteer involved in any lawful gambling during a bingo occasion from participating directly or indirectly as a player in any lawful gambling during that same bingo occasion.

• Expands restrictions for organizations, lessor employees, or volunteers involved in the conduct of electronic linked bingo, pulltabs, tipboards with more than 32 chances, or paddlewheel games at a permitted premises:

  • They may not participate directly or indirectly as a player in those games at that premises until two weeks after they are no longer involved in conducting them.

• Adds an exception for lessor employees:

  • A lessor employee may participate as a player in pulltab games at that premises, provided the employee does not participate during working hours and remains off duty.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Allows off-duty lessor employees to participate in pulltab games at the premises where they work, introducing a practical off-duty exception.
• Strengthens and clarifies restrictions on active involvement in gambling during bingo occasions and on involvement in electronic linked bingo, pulltabs, tipboards with many chances, and paddlewheel games.
• Establishes a two-week cooling-off period after involvement in certain gambling activities before participation in those activities can resume at the same premises.
• Updates definitions to explicitly include volunteers and to detail what counts as conduct for different types of lawful gambling.

Practical Implications

• Lessors and their employees may enjoy more flexibility to participate in pulltabs when off duty, potentially increasing worker engagement during non-work times.
• Casinos and charitable gambling venues must carefully track who is involved in gambling activities and enforce the working-hours/off-duty rules and the two-week cooling-off period.
• Volunteers and staff must clearly distinguish between on-duty and off-duty time to avoid prohibited participation during or immediately after conducting games.

Terminology In Use

-lessor employees, volunteers -pulltabs, tipboards, paddlewheels -electronic linked bingo -bingo occasion -more than 32 chances, 32 chances -permitted premises -working hours, off duty -directly or indirectly participate -two weeks

Relevant Terms - lessor employee - volunteer - pulltab games - tipboard games - paddlewheel games - paddlewheel table - electronic linked bingo - bingo occasion - more than 32 chances - 32 chances - permitted premises - working hours - off duty - direct participation - indirect participation - two weeks