EXECUTIVE LAW 

ARTICLE 19-B

STATE BINGO CONTROL COMMISSION

  Section:

§ 430. Short  title.  This  article shall be known and may be cited as  the bingo control law.

§ 431. Purpose of article. The purpose of this article is to implement  section  nine  of  article  one of the state constitution, as amended by  vote of the people at the general election in November, nineteen hundred  fifty-seven.  The legislature hereby declares that the raising of  funds  for  the  promotion  of  bona  fide charitable, educational, scientific,  health, religious, civic and patriotic causes  and  undertakings,  where  the  beneficiaries  are indefinite, is in the public interest. It hereby  finds that, as conducted prior to the enactment of this  article,  bingo  was the subject of exploitation by professional gamblers, promoters, and  commercial  interests.  It  is  hereby  declared to be the policy of the  legislature that all  phases  of  the  supervision,  licensing  and  the  regulation of bingo and of the conduct of bingo games, should be closely  controlled  and  that the laws and regulations pertaining thereto should  be strictly construed and rigidly enforced; that the conduct of the game  and all  attendant  activities  should  be  so  regulated  and  adequate  controls  so  instituted  as  to discourage commercialization in all its  forms, including the rental of commercial premises for bingo games,  and  to   ensure  a  maximum  availability  of  the  net  proceeds  of  bingo  exclusively for  application  to  the  worthy  causes  and  undertakings  specified  herein;  that  the  only justification for this article is to  foster and support such worthy causes and  undertakings,  and  that  the  mandate  of  section  nine  of article one of the state constitution, as  amended,  should  be  carried  out  by  rigid  regulation   to   prevent  commercialized  gambling,  prevent  participation  by criminal and other  undesirable elements  and  prevent  the  diversion  of  funds  from  the  purposes herein authorized.

§ 432. Definitions. As used in this article, the following terms shall  have the following meanings:

    1.  "Control  commission"  or "commission" shall mean the state racing  and wagering board.

    2. "Municipality" shall mean any city, town  or  village  within  this  state.

    3.  "Bingo"  or  "game" shall mean a specific game of chance, commonly  known as bingo or lotto, in which prizes are awarded  on  the  basis  of  designated numbers or symbols on a card conforming to numbers or symbols  selected at random.

    4.  "Authorized  organization"  shall  mean any bona fide religious or  charitable organization or bona fide educational,  fraternal,  civic  or  service  organization  or  bona fide organization of veterans, volunteer  firefighters, or volunteer ambulance  workers,  which  by  its  charter,  certificate  of  incorporation, constitution, or act of the legislature,  shall have as its dominant purpose or purposes one or more of the lawful  purposes as defined in the bingo licensing law, provided that each shall  operate without profit to its  members,  and  provided  that  each  such  organization  has  engaged in serving one or more of the lawful purposes  as defined in the bingo licensing law, article fourteen-H of the general  municipal law, for a period of one year immediately  prior  to  applying  for a license under the licensing law.

    5.  "Bingo licensing law" shall mean article fourteen-h of the general  municipal law.

§ 434. Utilization  of  other  agency  assistance.  To  effectuate the  purposes of this article, the governor  may  authorize  any  department,  division,  board,  bureau, commission or agency of the state or of or in  any political subdivision thereof to provide such facilities, assistance  and data as will  enable  the  commission  properly  to  carry  out  its  activities and effectuate its purposes hereunder.

§ 435. Powers  and  duties  of the commission. 1. The commission shall  have the power and it shall be its duty to:

    (a) Supervise the administration of the bingo licensing law and adopt,  amend and repeal  rules  and  regulations  governing  the  issuance  and  amendment  of licenses thereunder and the conducting of games under such  licenses, which rules and regulations shall have the force and effect of  law and shall be binding upon all municipalities issuing  licenses,  and  upon  licensees  thereunder  and licensees of the commission, to the end  that such licenses shall be issued to qualified licensees only and  that  said  games  shall be fairly and properly conducted for the purposes and  in the manner in the said bingo licensing law prescribed and to  prevent  the  games  thereby  authorized to be conducted from being conducted for  commercial purposes or purposes other  than  those  therein  authorized,  participated  in by criminal or other undesirable elements and the funds  derived from the games being diverted from the purposes authorized, and,  to provide uniformity in the administration of said law  throughout  the  state, the commission shall prescribe forms of application for licenses,  licenses,  amendment  of  licenses,  reports of the conduct of games and  other matters incident to the administration of such law;

    (b)  Conduct,  anywhere  within  the  state,  investigations  of   the  administration,  enforcement  and  potential or actual violations of the  bingo licensing law and of the rules and regulations of the commission;

    (c) Review all determinations and actions of the  municipal  governing  body  in  issuing  an initial license, and it may review the issuance of  subsequent licenses and, after hearing, revoke those licenses  which  do  not  in  all  respects  meet  the  requirements of this article, article  fourteen-h of the general municipal law and the rules and regulations of  the commission;

    (d) Suspend or revoke a license, after hearing, for any  violation  of  the  provisions  of  this  article,  article  fourteen-h  of the general  municipal law or the rules and regulations of the commission;

    (e) Hear appeals from the determinations and action of  the  municipal  governing  body  in  connection with the refusing to issue licenses, the  suspension and revocation of licenses and the imposition of fines in the  manner prescribed by  law  and  the  action  and  determination  of  the  commission  upon  any  such  appeal  shall be binding upon the municipal  governing body and all parties thereto;

    (f) Initiate prosecutions for violations of this article  and  of  the  bingo licensing law;

    (g)  Carry on continuous study of the operation of the bingo licensing  law to ascertain from time  to  time  defects  therein  jeopardizing  or  threatening to jeopardize the purposes of this article, and to formulate  and  recommend  changes in such law and in other laws of the state which  the commission may determine to be necessary for the realization of such  purposes, and to the  same  end  to  make  a  continuous  study  of  the  operation  and  administration of similar laws which may be in effect in  other states of the United States.

    (h) Supervise the disposition of all funds derived from the conduct of  bingo by authorized organizations not currently licensed to conduct such  games;

    (i)  Issue  an  identification  number  to  an  applicant   authorized  organization  if  it  shall  determine  that the applicant satisfies the  requirements of the bingo licensing law and the rules and regulations.

    2. (a) The commission shall have the power to issue or, after hearing,  refuse to issue a license permitting a person, firm  or  corporation  to  sell  or  distribute to any other person, firm or corporation engaged in  business as a wholesaler, jobber, distributor or retailer of all  cards,  boards,  sheets,  pads  and  all  other  supplies, devices and equipment  designed for use in the play of bingo by an organization  duly  licensed  to  conduct  bingo  games  or  to  sell or distribute any such materials  directly to such an organization. For the purposes of this  section  the  words  "sell  or distribute" shall include, but shall not be limited to,  the  following  activities;  offering  for  sale,  receiving,  handling,  maintaining,  storing  the  same  on  behalf  of  such  an organization,  distributing or providing the same to such an organization, and offering  for sale or lease bingo devices and equipment. Each such  license  shall  be valid for one year.

    (b)  No  person, firm or corporation, other than an organization which  is or has been during the  preceding  twelve  months  duly  licensed  to  conduct  bingo  games,  shall  sell  or  distribute  bingo  supplies  or  equipment without having first obtained a license therefor upon  written  application  made,  verified  and  filed with the commission in the form  prescribed by the rules and regulations of the commission. As a part  of  its  determination  concerning the applicant's suitability for licensing  as a bingo supplier, the New York state racing and wagering board  shall  require the applicant to furnish to such board two sets of fingerprints.  Such fingerprints shall be submitted to the division of criminal justice  services  for  a  state  criminal  history  record  check, as defined in  subdivision one of section three thousand thirty-five of  the  education  law,  and  may be submitted to the federal bureau of investigation for a  national criminal history record check.  In each such application for  a  license  under  this section shall be stated the name and address of the  applicant;  the  names  and  addresses  of  its   officers,   directors,  shareholders  or  partners; the amount of gross receipts realized on the  sale or distribution of bingo supplies and equipment  to  duly  licensed  organizations  during  the  last  preceding calendar or fiscal year, and  such other  information  as  shall  be  prescribed  by  such  rules  and  regulations.  The  fee  for  such  license  shall  be  a  sum  equal  to  twenty-five dollars plus an amount based upon the gross sales,  if  any,  of  bingo  equipment  and  supplies  to  authorized organizations by the  applicant during the preceding calendar year,  or  fiscal  year  if  the  applicant  maintains his accounts on a fiscal year basis, and determined  in accordance with the following schedule:

    gross sales of $1,000 to $4,999................$10.00

    gross sales of $5,000 to $19,999...............$50.00

    gross sales of $20,000 to $49,999.............$200.00

    gross sales of $50,000 to $100,000............$500.00

    gross sales in excess of $100,000...........$1,000.00

    (c) The following shall be ineligible for such a license:

    (1) a person convicted of a crime who has not  received  a  pardon,  a  certificate   of   good   conduct   or  a  certificate  of  relief  from  disabilities;

    (2) a person who is or has been a  professional  gambler  or  gambling  promoter or who for other reasons is not of good moral character;

    (3) a public officer or employee;

    (4) an operator or proprietor of a commercial hall duly licensed under  the bingo licensing law;

    (5)  a  firm  or  corporation in which a person defined in subdivision  (1), (2), (3) or (4) above, or a person married or related in the  first  degree  to such a person, has greater than a ten per centum proprietary,  equitable or credit interest or in which such  a  person  is  active  or  employed.

    (d)  The control commission shall have power to examine or cause to be  examined the books and records of any applicant for a  license,  or  any  licensee,  under  this section. Any information so received shall not be  disclosed except so far as may be necessary for the purpose of  carrying  out the provisions of this article and article fourteen-h of the general  municipal law.

    (e)  Any  solicitation  of  an  organization licensed to conduct bingo  games, to  purchase  or  induce  the  purchase  of  bingo  supplies  and  equipment,  or  any  representation,  statement  or  inquiry designed or  reasonably tending to influence such an  organization  to  purchase  the  same,  other  than by a person licensed or otherwise authorized pursuant  to this section shall constitute a violation of this section.

    (f) Any person who willfully shall make any material  false  statement  in  any  application  for  a  license authorized to be issued under this  article or who willfully shall violate any of  the  provisions  of  this  section  or  of  any  license  issued  hereunder  shall  be  guilty of a  misdemeanor and, in addition to the penalties  in  such  case  made  and  provided,  shall  forfeit  any  license  issued  to him or it under this  section and be ineligible to apply for a license under this section  for  one year thereafter.

    (g)  At  the end of the license period, a recapitulation shall be made  as between the licensee and the commission in respect of the gross sales  actually recorded during the license period and the fee  paid  therefor,  and  any  deficiency of fee thereby shown to be due shall be paid by the  licensee and any excess of fee thereby shown to have been paid shall  be  credited  to said licensee in such manner as the commission by the rules  and regulations shall prescribe.

    3. The commission shall have the power  to  approve  and  establish  a  standard  set  of bingo cards comprising a consecutively numbered series  and shall by its rules and regulations prescribe  the  manner  in  which  such  cards  are to be reproduced and distributed to licensed authorized  organizations.  The  sale  or  distribution  to  a  licensed  authorized  organization  of  any  card  or  cards other than those contained in the  standard set of  bingo  cards  shall  constitute  a  violation  of  this  section.  Licensed authorized organizations shall not be required to use  nor to maintain such cards seriatim  excepting  that  the  same  may  be  required in the conduct of limited period bingo games.

§ 436. Hearings;  immunity.    1.  A hearing upon any investigation or  review authorized by this  article  or  by  article  fourteen-h  of  the  general  municipal  law  may  be conducted by two or more members of the  commission or by a hearing officer duly designated by the commission, as  the commission shall determine.

    2. A person who has violated any provision of this article or  article  fourteen-h of the general municipal law, or of the rules and regulations  of the commission, or any term of any license issued under said articles  or  said  rules  and regulations, is a competent witness against another  person so charged. In any  hearing  upon  any  investigation  or  review  authorized  by  this  article  or  article  fourteen-h  of  the  general  municipal law, for or relating to a violation of any provision  of  said  articles  or  of  the  rules and regulations of the commission or of the  term of any such license, the commission, may confer immunity upon  such  witness  in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  section 50.20 of the  criminal procedure law. Such immunity shall be conferred only  upon  the  vote  of  at  least  three  members  of  the  commission, and only after  affording the attorney general and the appropriate district  attorney  a  reasonable  opportunity to be heard with respect to any objections which  they or either of them may have to the granting of such immunity.

§ 437. Place  of  investigations  and  hearings;  witnesses; books and  documents.   The commission  may  conduct  investigations  and  hearings  within  or  without  the  state  and  shall  have  power  to  compel the  attendance of witnesses, the production of books, records, documents and  other evidence by the issuance of a subpoena signed by a member  of  the  commission.

§ 438. Privilege  against  self-incrimination.  The willful refusal to  answer a  material  question  or  the  assertion  of  privilege  against  self-incrimination  during  a  hearing  upon any investigation or review  authorized by this article or  by  article  fourteen-h  of  the  general  municipal law by any licensee or any person identified with any licensee  as an officer, director, stockholder, partner, member, employee or agent  thereof   shall  constitute  sufficient  cause  for  the  revocation  or  suspension of any  license  issued  under  this  article  or  under  the  licensing  law, as the commission or as the municipal governing body may  determine.

§ 439. Filing  and  availability  of  rules and regulations. A copy of  every rule and regulation adopted  and  promulgated  by  the  commission  shall  be  filed in the office of the secretary of state before it shall  become effective and copies thereof  shall  be  made  available  to  the  various municipalities operating under the bingo licensing law.