Bill Text: NY S06944 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Provides an exemption from the licensing fee to conduct bingo to apartment, condominium and cooperative complexes, retirement communities, and other group residential complexes, and games of bingo conducted by bona fide social, charitable, educational, recreational, fraternal, religious, not-for-profit, or age group organizations; authorizes such complexes and organizations to award prizes of up $25 per game and $375 during any single day of gaming; also authorizes such games to be conducted not more than twice a week; and authorizes players to provide consideration in order to participate in the bingo games.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-01-03 - REFERRED TO RACING, GAMING AND WAGERING [S06944 Detail]

Download: New_York-2017-S06944-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          6944
                               2017-2018 Regular Sessions
                    IN SENATE
                                    November 17, 2017
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  Sen. TEDISCO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
        AN ACT to amend the general municipal law, in relation  to  waiving  the
          licensing fee for the conducting of bingo for certain purposes
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 1 of section 481 of the gener-
     2  al municipal law, as amended by section 5 of part MM of  chapter  59  of
     3  the laws of 2017, is amended to read as follows:
     4    (a)  Issuance  of  licenses to conduct bingo. If the governing body of
     5  the municipality determines that the applicant is duly qualified  to  be
     6  licensed to conduct bingo under this article; that the member or members
     7  of the applicant designated in the application to conduct bingo are bona
     8  fide active members of the applicant and are persons of good moral char-
     9  acter  and  have  never been convicted of a crime or, if convicted, have
    10  received a pardon or a certificate of good conduct or a  certificate  of
    11  relief  from  disabilities  pursuant  to  article  twenty-three  of  the
    12  correction law; that such games of bingo are to be conducted in  accord-
    13  ance  with  the  provisions  of  this article and in accordance with the
    14  rules and regulations of the commission, and that the  proceeds  thereof
    15  are  to be disposed of as provided by this article, and if the governing
    16  body is satisfied that no commission, salary,  compensation,  reward  or
    17  recompense  what  so  ever  will be paid or given to any person holding,
    18  operating or conducting or  assisting  in  the  holding,  operation  and
    19  conduct  of  any such games of bingo except as in this article otherwise
    20  provided; and that no prize will be offered and given in excess  of  the
    21  sum  or  value  of five thousand dollars in any single game and that the
    22  aggregate of all prizes offered and given in all of such games conducted
    23  on a single occasion, under said license shall not  exceed  the  sum  or
    24  value  of  fifteen thousand dollars, then the municipality shall issue a
    25  license to the applicant for the conduct of  bingo  upon  payment  of  a
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD13559-02-7
        S. 6944                             2
     1  license  fee  of  eighteen dollars and seventy-five cents for each bingo
     2  occasion; provided, however, that no such license fee shall  be  charged
     3  for  games  of bingo conducted pursuant to clause (B) or (C) of subpara-
     4  graph  (i)  of  paragraph (b) of subdivision two of section four hundred
     5  ninety-five-a of this article; and provided, further, that the governing
     6  body shall refuse to issue a license to an applicant seeking to  conduct
     7  bingo  in  premises of a licensed commercial lessor where such governing
     8  body determines that the premises presently owned or  occupied  by  such
     9  applicant  are  in  every  respect  adequate and suitable for conducting
    10  bingo games.
    11    § 2. Clauses (B) and (C) of  subparagraph  (i)  of  paragraph  (b)  of
    12  subdivision  2 of section 495-a of the general municipal law, as amended
    13  by chapter 441 of the laws of 2007, are amended to read as follows:
    14    (B) within any apartment, condominium or cooperative complex,  retire-
    15  ment community, or other group residential complex or facility where (I)
    16  sponsored  by the operator of or an association related to such complex,
    17  community or facility, (II) such games  are  conducted  solely  for  the
    18  purpose  of  amusement and recreation of its residents, (III) [no player
    19  or other person furnishes anything  of  value  for  the  opportunity  to
    20  participate,  (IV)] the value of the prizes shall not exceed [ten] twen-
    21  ty-five dollars for any one game or  a  total  of  [one]  three  hundred
    22  [fifty] seventy-five dollars in any calendar [day] year, [(V)] (IV) such
    23  games  are  not  conducted  on  more  than [fifteen] two days during any
    24  calendar [year] week, and [(VI)] (V) no person other than an employee or
    25  volunteer of such complex, community or facility conducts or assists  in
    26  conducting the game or games.
    27    (C) on behalf of any bona fide social, charitable, educational, recre-
    28  ational,  fraternal,  religious,  not-for-profit, or age group organiza-
    29  tion, club or association solely for the purpose of amusement and recre-
    30  ation of its members or beneficiaries where  (I)  [no  player  or  other
    31  person  furnishes  anything of value for the opportunity to participate,
    32  (II)] the value of the prizes shall not exceed [ten] twenty-five dollars
    33  for any one game or a total of [one] three hundred [fifty]  seventy-five
    34  dollars  in  any  calendar  [day]  year, [(III)] (II) such games are not
    35  conducted on more than [fifteen] two days  during  any  calendar  [year]
    36  week, [(IV)] (III) no person other than a bona fide active member of the
    37  organization,  club  or  association  participates in the conduct of the
    38  games, and [(V)] (IV) no person is paid for conducting or  assisting  in
    39  the conduct of the game or games.
    40    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.