Purpose

This bill aims to allow lessor employees to participate in pulltab games when they are off duty, while tightening rules to prevent conflicts of interest and protect the integrity of lawful gambling operations. It makes targeted changes to when employees or volunteers can participate in various gambling activities on the premises.

Key definitions

• A volunteer is someone not paid by an organization who helps with lawful gambling.
• Conduct of pulltabs, tipboards, and paddlewheels includes activities such as selling tickets, redeeming tickets, auditing games, making deposits, spinning the paddlewheel, and conducting inventory.
• Conduct of bingo includes selling hard bingo cards or paper sheets, completing bingo occasion records, selecting or announcing numbers, making deposits, and conducting inventory.

Main provisions

• A volunteer involved in tipboards with no more than 32 chances per game, or paddlewheel games without a paddlewheel table, may not participate as a player in electronic linked bingo, pulltab, tipboard, or paddlewheel games on the same premises on the same business day they were involved in those games.
• An employee or volunteer who is involved in the conduct of any lawful gambling during a bingo occasion may not participate directly or indirectly as a player in any lawful gambling during that same bingo occasion.
• An organization, or a lessor employee or volunteer involved in the conduct of electronic linked bingo, pulltabs, tipboards with more than 32 chances per game, or paddlewheel games with a paddlewheel table at a permitted premises, may not participate directly or indirectly as a player in electronic linked bingo, pulltabs, tipboards, or paddlewheel games at that premises. This restriction lasts until two weeks after the employee or volunteer is no longer involved in those games.
• Notwithstanding the previous restriction, a lessor employee may participate as a player in pulltab games at that premises if the employee does not participate during working hours and is off duty.

Effects and significant changes

• Creates a specific off-duty exception for lessor employees to participate in pulltabs on-site.
• Introduces a two-week cooling-off period for employees or volunteers involved in higher-chance games (more than 32 chances per game or paddlewheel-table games).
• Tightens on-duty restrictions to prevent participation in any gambling activities during a bingo occasion or when involved in higher-chance electronic linked bingo, pulltabs, tipboards, or paddlewheel games.
• Clarifies what activities count as “conduct” for pulltabs, tipboards, paddlewheels, and bingo, and who is subject to these rules (employees and volunteers).

Timing and enforcement

• Restrictions apply during the relevant gambling activities and for the two-week period after involvement ends for higher-chance games.
• The bill specifies on/off-duty status as a factor in determining eligibility to participate, particularly for lessor employees in pulltab games.

Practical impact

• Lessors’ off-duty employees can play pulltabs at the same premises, but only if they are not on duty during participation.
• On busy or high-stakes game periods, there are stricter limits and cooling-off requirements to minimize potential conflicts of interest.
• Volunteers and employees must be careful about when and what types of gambling activities they participate in, especially on the same day they were involved in conduct activities.

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Relevant Terms - lessor employee - volunteer - pulltabs - tipboards - paddlewheels - electronic linked bingo - bingo occasion - premises - off duty - on duty - working hours - more than 32 chances per game - 32 chances per game - paddlewheel table - two weeks - conduct - deposits - tickets - inventory - auditing - spinning the paddlewheel - bingo numbers