Bill Text: NY A02303 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Relates to authorizing and regulating the use of electronic bell jar vending machines.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2018-06-20 - substituted by s994c [A02303 Detail]

Download: New_York-2017-A02303-Amended.html


                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                         2303--A
                               2017-2018 Regular Sessions
                   IN ASSEMBLY
                                    January 17, 2017
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  PRETLOW,  McDONALD,  HAWLEY -- read once and
          referred  to  the  Committee  on  Racing  and  Wagering  --  committee
          discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted
          to said committee
        AN  ACT  to  amend  the general municipal law, in relation to electronic
          bell jar games
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1.  Legislative findings and purpose. 1. The legislature here-
     2  by finds that:
     3    (a)  bell jar games are a popular and profitable fundraising mechanism
     4  for bona fide not-for-profit organizations across the state,  generating
     5  millions of dollars in net revenues for charitable purposes every year;
     6    (b)  authorized  organizations that offer bell jars and other games of
     7  chance must meet strict standards established  by  the  New  York  state
     8  general  municipal law and the New York state gaming commission, includ-
     9  ing receiving a license to conduct charitable gaming activities; and
    10    (c) while other types of gaming in New York state  have  continued  to
    11  expand  and  improve,  the operation of charitable gaming activities has
    12  largely remained the same over the last several decades.
    13    2. For the aforementioned reasons,  the  legislature  hereby  declares
    14  that  authorized  organizations  licensed  by  the New York state gaming
    15  commission to conduct charitable gaming would greatly benefit  from  the
    16  ability  to  operate electronic bell jar vending machines, which display
    17  and dispense  pre-printed  bell  jar  tickets  that  have  predetermined
    18  winners  and  predetermined values for prizes, in order to help increase
    19  charitable gaming profits across the state and attract more  members  to
    20  join such organizations.
    21    §  2.  Subdivision 3-a of section 186 of the general municipal law, as
    22  amended by chapter 531 of the laws  of  2011,  is  amended  to  read  as
    23  follows:
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD04475-02-7

        A. 2303--A                          2
     1    3-a. "Bell jars" shall mean and include those games in which a partic-
     2  ipant  shall draw a card from a jar, vending machine, including an elec-
     3  tronic bell jar vending machine, or other suitable device  or  container
     4  which  contains  numbers,  colors or symbols that are covered and which,
     5  when uncovered, may reveal that a prize shall be awarded on the basis of
     6  a  designated winning number, color or symbol or combination of numbers,
     7  colors or symbols. Bell jars shall also include seal cards, coin boards,
     8  event games, and merchandise boards.  An  electronic  bell  jar  vending
     9  machine shall use electronic features to display and dispense pre-print-
    10  ed  bell  jar  tickets,  including  audio  and video features to display
    11  information about a ticket being dispensed, provided that such  features
    12  do not affect the outcome of the game.
    13    §  3.  Subdivision 9 of section 188-a of the general municipal law, as
    14  added by chapter 960 of the laws of 1976, is amended to read as follows:
    15    9. (a) The [board] commission shall have  the  power  to  approve  and
    16  establish  a  standard set of games of chance equipment and shall by its
    17  rules and regulations prescribe the manner in which such equipment is to
    18  be reproduced and distributed to licensed authorized organizations.  The
    19  sale or distribution to a licensed authorized organization of any equip-
    20  ment  other  than  that contained in the standard set of games of chance
    21  equipment shall constitute a violation of this section.
    22    (b) After the effective date of the chapter of the laws of  two  thou-
    23  sand  seventeen  that  amended  this subdivision, no electronic bell jar
    24  vending machine shall be sold, leased, distributed, installed, or  oper-
    25  ated  by any manufacturer, distributor, or charitable organization until
    26  such machine has been approved by the commission.   No  electronic  bell
    27  jar vending machine shall be approved by the commission unless the oper-
    28  ation  of the game demonstrates that there is a finite probability basis
    29  of having a predetermined quantity of chances among  which  there  is  a
    30  predetermined  quantity  of  winners  that pay a fixed and predetermined
    31  value of prizes, regardless of the symbols that are used  or  how  those
    32  symbols are displayed.
    33    §  4.  Subdivision  3  of section 189 of the general municipal law, as
    34  amended by chapter 337 of the laws  of  1998,  is  amended  to  read  as
    35  follows:
    36    3.  No  authorized  organization licensed under the provisions of this
    37  article shall purchase, lease, or  receive  any  supplies  or  equipment
    38  specifically  designed  or  adapted  for  use in the conduct of games of
    39  chance from other than a supplier licensed by the board or from  another
    40  authorized  organization. Lease terms and conditions shall be subject to
    41  rules and regulations promulgated by the board. The provisions  of  this
    42  article  shall  not  be  construed  to authorize or permit an authorized
    43  organization to engage in the  business  of  leasing  games  of  chance,
    44  supplies, or equipment. Furthermore, no organization shall purchase bell
    45  jar  tickets[,]  or  deals of bell jar tickets, or purchase or lease any
    46  electronic bell jar vending machine, from any other person or  organiza-
    47  tion other than those specifically authorized under sections one hundred
    48  ninety-five-n and one hundred ninety-five-o of this article.
    49    §  5.  The opening paragraph of section 189-a of the general municipal
    50  law, as amended by chapter 164 of the laws of 2003, is amended  to  read
    51  as follows:
    52    No  person, firm, partnership, corporation or organization, shall sell
    53  or distribute supplies or equipment specifically designed or adapted for
    54  use in conduct of games  of  chance  without  having  first  obtained  a
    55  license  therefor upon written application made, verified and filed with
    56  the [board] commission in the form prescribed by  the  rules  and  regu-

        A. 2303--A                          3
     1  lations  of  the  [board]  commission.    As a part of its determination
     2  concerning the applicant's suitability  for  licensing  as  a  games  of
     3  chance  supplier,  the [board] commission shall require the applicant to
     4  furnish  to the [board] commission two sets of fingerprints.  Such fing-
     5  erprints shall be submitted to the division of criminal justice services
     6  for a state criminal history record check, as defined in subdivision one
     7  of section three thousand thirty-five of the education law, and  may  be
     8  submitted to the federal bureau of investigation for a national criminal
     9  history record check. Manufacturers of bell jar tickets shall be consid-
    10  ered suppliers of such equipment. In each such application for a license
    11  under  this  section  shall be stated the name and address of the appli-
    12  cant; the names and addresses of its officers,  directors,  shareholders
    13  or  partners;  the  amount  of  gross  receipts realized on the sale and
    14  rental of games of  chance  supplies  and  equipment  to  duly  licensed
    15  authorized  organizations  during  the last preceding calendar or fiscal
    16  year, and such other information as shall be prescribed  by  such  rules
    17  and  regulations. The fee for such license shall be a sum equal to twen-
    18  ty-five dollars plus an amount equal to two  per  centum  of  the  gross
    19  sales  and rentals, if any, of games of chance equipment and supplies to
    20  authorized organizations or authorized games of chance  lessors  by  the
    21  applicant  during  the  preceding  calendar  year, or fiscal year if the
    22  applicant maintains his accounts  on  a  fiscal  year  basis;  provided,
    23  however, that for manufacturers of electronic bell jar vending machines,
    24  the  fee  for  such  license  shall be one thousand dollars.  No license
    25  granted pursuant to the provisions of this section  shall  be  effective
    26  for a period of more than one year.
    27    §  6.  Section 195-c of the general municipal law is amended by adding
    28  three new subdivisions 3, 4, and 5 to read as follows:
    29    3. Each electronic bell jar vending machine that has been approved  by
    30  the  commission pursuant to paragraph (b) of subdivision nine of section
    31  one hundred eighty-eight-a of this article shall have the ability to:
    32    (a) read a barcode or similar form of encryption  or  marking  on  the
    33  pre-printed bell jar ticket;
    34    (b)  reveal results and other game information through audio and video
    35  displays;
    36    (c) verify if a bell jar ticket is redeemable for a prize;
    37    (d) electronically aggregate winning prizes for continued play;
    38    (e) produce a voucher for prize redemption; and
    39    (f) track the sales of tickets and report such sales  to  the  commis-
    40  sion.
    41    4.  The  following  information  shall be displayed by each electronic
    42  bell jar vending machine:
    43    (a) the total number of tickets in each deal;
    44    (b) the price of each ticket;
    45    (c) the number and amount of prizes available  or  remaining  in  each
    46  deal;
    47    (d)  the  number  and amounts of prizes that have been claimed in each
    48  deal;
    49    (e) the number of  winners  per  ticket  and  its  respective  winning
    50  numbers or symbols;
    51    (f) the name of the game; and
    52    (g) the name or logo of the manufacturer of the tickets.
    53    5.  When  a  voucher  is  produced  by  an electronic bell jar vending
    54  machine for prize redemption, the following information shall appear  on
    55  such voucher:
    56    (a) the aggregate prize amount payable to the player;

        A. 2303--A                          4
     1    (b) the value of any unused tickets;
     2    (c)  the  device number or other identification method for the vending
     3  machine that produced such voucher;
     4    (d) the date and time that such voucher was printed;
     5    (e) the sequential number of such voucher;
     6    (f) a barcode or similar form of encryption that may be used to  vali-
     7  date the prize amount payable to the player; and
     8    (g)  the  period  of time during which unused tickets or prize amounts
     9  must be claimed.
    10    § 7. Subdivisions 1 and 4 of section 195-n of  the  general  municipal
    11  law,  as amended by chapter 637 of the laws of 1999, are amended to read
    12  as follows:
    13    1. Distribution; manufacturers. For business conducted in this  state,
    14  manufacturers  licensed by the [board] commission to sell bell jar tick-
    15  ets or electric bell jar vending machines shall sell only  such  tickets
    16  or  vending machines to distributors licensed by the [board] commission.
    17  Manufacturers of bell jar tickets, seal cards, merchandise  boards,  and
    18  coin  boards  may submit samples, artists' renderings, or color photoco-
    19  pies of proposed bell jar tickets, seal cards, merchandise boards,  coin
    20  boards,  payout cards, and flares for review and approval by the [board]
    21  commission. Within thirty days of receipt of such sample  or  rendering,
    22  the  [board]  commission  shall  approve  or deny such bell jar tickets.
    23  Following approval of a rendering of  a  bell  jar  ticket,  seal  card,
    24  merchandise board, or coin board by the [board] commission, the manufac-
    25  turer  shall  submit  to  the [board] commission a sample of the printed
    26  bell jar ticket, seal card, merchandise board, coin board, payout  card,
    27  and  flare  for  such  game. Such sample shall be submitted prior to the
    28  sale of the game to any licensed distributor for resale in  this  state.
    29  For coin boards and merchandise boards, nothing herein shall require the
    30  submittal  of  actual coins or merchandise as part of the approval proc-
    31  ess. Any licensed manufacturer who willfully violates the provisions  of
    32  this  section  shall:  (a)  upon  such first offense, have their license
    33  suspended for a period of thirty days; (b)  upon  such  second  offense,
    34  participate  in a hearing to be conducted by the [board] commission, and
    35  surrender their license for such period as recommended  by  the  [board]
    36  commission;  and  (c)  upon such third or subsequent offense, have their
    37  license suspended for a period of one year and  shall  be  guilty  of  a
    38  class  E felony. Any unlicensed manufacturer who violates the provisions
    39  of this section shall be guilty of a class E felony.
    40    4. Reports of sales. A manufacturer who sells  bell  jar  tickets  for
    41  resale  in  this state shall file with the [board] commission, on a form
    42  prescribed by the [board] commission a report of all  bell  jar  tickets
    43  sold  to  distributors in the state. The report shall be filed quarterly
    44  on or before the twentieth day of the month succeeding the  end  of  the
    45  quarter  in  which the sale was made. The [board] commission may require
    46  that the report be submitted  via  magnetic  media  or  electronic  data
    47  transfer. Such report shall also include information regarding any elec-
    48  tronic  bell  jar  vending  machines  sold  or  leased  to a distributor
    49  licensed by the commission.
    50    § 8. Subdivisions 1, 3, 4, and 5  of  section  195-o  of  the  general
    51  municipal  law,  subdivision  1 as amended by chapter 637 of the laws of
    52  1999, subdivisions 3 and 4 as added by chapter 309 of the laws  of  1996
    53  and  subdivision  5 as amended by section 16 of part MM of chapter 59 of
    54  the laws of 2017, are amended to read as follows:
    55    1. Distribution; distributors. Any distributor licensed in  accordance
    56  with  section  one  hundred  eighty-nine-a of this article to distribute

        A. 2303--A                          5
     1  bell jar tickets or electronic bell jar vending machines shall  purchase
     2  [bell jar] such tickets and vending machines only from licensed manufac-
     3  turers  and  may  manufacture coin boards and merchandise boards only as
     4  authorized  in  subdivision one-a of this section. Licensed distributors
     5  of bell jar tickets and electronic bell jar vending machines shall  sell
     6  such  tickets and vending machines only to not-for-profit, charitable or
     7  religious organizations registered  by  the  [board]  commission.    Any
     8  licensed  distributor  who  willfully  violates  the  provisions of this
     9  section shall: (a) upon such first offense, have their license suspended
    10  for a period of thirty days; (b) upon such second  offense,  participate
    11  in  a  hearing  to be conducted by the [board] commission, and surrender
    12  their license for such period as recommended by the [board]  commission;
    13  and  (c)  upon  such  third  or  subsequent  offense, have their license
    14  suspended for a period of one year and shall be  guilty  of  a  class  E
    15  felony.  Any  unlicensed  distributor who violates this section shall be
    16  guilty of a class E felony.
    17    3. Sales records. A distributor shall maintain a record  of  all  bell
    18  jar  tickets  that it sells and all electronic bell jar vending machines
    19  that it sells or leases.   The record shall include,  but  need  not  be
    20  limited to:
    21    (a)  the  identity  of  the  manufacturer  from  whom  the distributor
    22  purchased the product;
    23    (b) the serial number of the product;
    24    (c) the name, address, and license or  exempt  permit  number  of  the
    25  organization or person to which the sale was made;
    26    (d) the date of the sale;
    27    (e) the name of the person who ordered the product;
    28    (f) the name of the person who received the product;
    29    (g) the type of product;
    30    (h) the serial number of the product;
    31    (i)  the  account number identifying the sale from the manufacturer to
    32  distributor and  the  account  number  identifying  the  sale  from  the
    33  distributor to the licensed organization; and
    34    (j)  the  name, form number, or other identifying information for each
    35  game.
    36    4. Invoices. (a) A distributor shall supply with each sale of  a  bell
    37  jar  product  an  itemized  invoice  showing  the distributor's name and
    38  address, the purchaser's name, address, and license number, the date  of
    39  the  sale, the account number identifying the sale from the manufacturer
    40  to distributor and the account number  identifying  the  sale  from  the
    41  distributor  to  the  licensed  organization, and the description of the
    42  deals, including the form number, the serial number and the ideal  gross
    43  from every deal of bell jar or similar game.
    44    (b)  Within  five business days after the sale, lease, or distribution
    45  of an electronic bell jar vending machine to an authorized organization,
    46  the distributor shall provide a copy of an  invoice  to  the  commission
    47  which shows:
    48    (i) the name and address of the authorized organization;
    49    (ii) the date of sale, lease or distribution;
    50    (iii) the serial number of each such machine; and
    51    (iv) any additional information as the commission may require.
    52    5.  Reports.  (a)  A  distributor shall report quarterly to the gaming
    53  commission, on a form prescribed by the gaming commission, its sales  of
    54  each  type  of  bell jar deal or tickets and electronic bell jar vending
    55  machines. This report shall be filed quarterly on or before the  twenti-
    56  eth day of the month succeeding the end of the quarter in which the sale

        A. 2303--A                          6
     1  was  made.  The  gaming commission may require that a distributor submit
     2  the quarterly report and invoices required by this section via electron-
     3  ic media or electronic data transfer.
     4    § 9. Section 195-q of the general municipal law is amended by adding a
     5  new subdivision 3 to read as follows:
     6    3. (a) An authorized organization may only operate electronic bell jar
     7  vending machines on premises that it owns or leases.
     8    (b)  Each  bell  jar  vending machine shall generate sales reports and
     9  such other information that the commission may direct by  regulation  in
    10  order to determine that such machine is operating in accordance with the
    11  provisions  of  this  chapter.   The commission shall have access to the
    12  server of each electronic bell jar vending machine for  the  purpose  of
    13  monitoring and auditing at no cost to the state.
    14    (c)  Any  unclaimed  funds  or tickets left in any electronic bell jar
    15  vending machine shall be retained by  the  authorized  organization  and
    16  reported as net proceeds.
    17    §  10.  This  act  shall  take effect on the one hundred eightieth day
    18  after it shall have become a law.
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