§ 1 Gaming or betting; forfeiture
§ 1A ”House”, ”building” and ”place” including ship or vessel
§ 2 Gaming or betting in public conveyance or place or while trespassing in private place; arrest without warrant
§ 3 Innholders and others keeping or suffering implements to be used for gaming
§ 4 Gaming in inns and other occupied places; use of billiard table, bowling alley or other implement for gaming
§ 5 Gaming, lottery, pool or betting houses; tables or apparatus for gaming
§ 5A Gambling devices; forfeiture; antique slot machines
§ 5B Unlawful possession of electronic machine or device for conducting or promoting sweepstakes through entertaining display; lawful exceptions; penalty
§ 6 Gaming relative to cattle shows, military muster or public gathering; arrest without warrant
§ 6A Plans under which purchasers agree to obtain more purchasers; injunction; receivers
§ 6B Skilo and similar games
§ 7 Lotteries; disposal of property by chance
§ 7A Raffles and bazaars; conduct by certain organizations
§ 8 Permitting lotteries, raffles and games of chance in buildings
§ 9 Lottery tickets; sale, or possession
§ 10 Subsequent offenses within five years of conviction
§ 10A Arrest without warrant
§ 11 Lottery tickets; advertising
§ 12 False lottery tickets; creation, sale, or possession
§ 13 Lottery tickets, tokens or shares deemed false
§ 14 Forfeiture of money, prizes, or other property disposed of by chance; recovery
§ 15 Lottery for money drawn out of commonwealth; aiding or promoting
§ 16 Tickets of lottery described in Sec. 15; sale or possession
§ 16A Organizing or promoting gambling facilities or services
§ 17 Place for registering bets or dealing in pools; owner or occupant; custodian or depository
§ 17A Telephones, internet or other communications technology; use for gaming
§ 17B Use of electronic communications records in ongoing criminal investigations; subpoena of records
§ 18 Policy lotteries or shops; production, sale or possession of lottery tickets or tokens
§ 19 Production, advertisement or delivery of tickets; receipt of money; prima facie evidence
§ 20 Tickets, memoranda, books and sheets; nuisance; possession; concealment
§ 21 Words, figures or characters referring to game or contest; prima facie evidence; proof
§ 22 Delivery to or from a person engaged in a lottery or other illegal gaming
§ 22A Whist or bridge for charitable and similar purposes
§ 22B Beano; sale of lottery tickets
§ 23 Oath and warrant to enter gaming or lottery place, arrest persons and seize implements and materials; disposal of articles
§ 24 Race tracks; owners, proprietors of, or persons present
§ 25 Obstructions barring access to gaming places; removal; lien of expenses
§ 26 Subsequent obstructions; removal; punishment; lien
§ 27 Judicial notice of methods and character of lotteries, policy games, pools and betting; prima facie evidence
§ 28 Lotteries or illegal gaming; complaints and indictments
§ 29 Sale, exchange or disposition of property; misrepresentation
§ 30 Trading stamps or similar devices; sale or delivery
§ 31 Racing horses for bets or stakes
§ 31A Racing results or information; transmission for unlawful purposes
§ 32 Horse racing; fraud
§ 33 Race grounds in towns
§ 34 Race grounds as nuisance; abatement
§ 35 Definition of words and phrases used in Secs. 35 to 38
§ 36 Bucketing contracts; keeper of shop; domestic and foreign corporations
§ 37 Prohibited contracts; price quotations
§ 38 Purchases and sales of securities or commodities; written statement
§ 39 Gifts to influence business affairs; threats
§ 39A Gifts to influence action of participants in, and others connected with, a game or contest
§ 40 Appointment, reinstatement or discharge of employee of public service corporation or racing licensee on recommendation of public officer, officer elect or candidate
§ 41 Offices not public offices under Sec. 40
§ 42 Boxing matches or exhibitions; betting or selling pools
§ 43 Solicitation, disclosure, receipt or use of information concerning public assistance
§ 44 Hospital or sanitarium patient; settlement, release or statement; admissibility
§ 46 Discarded containers originally used for refrigerative purposes; removal of doors
§ 47 Telephones; gambling convictions; approval for installation; notices of convictions and removals
§ 48 Civil service preparatory courses; advertisement
§ 49 Criminal usury
§ 50 Sale of research papers, etc.; taking of examinations for another at educational institutions
§ 51 Photos taken outside of first responder’s official duties; penalties
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Terms Used In Massachusetts General Laws > Chapter 271 - Crimes Against Public Policy

  • Appeal: A request made after a trial, asking another court (usually the court of appeals) to decide whether the trial was conducted properly. To make such a request is "to appeal" or "to take an appeal." One who appeals is called the appellant.
  • Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
  • Assets: (1) The property comprising the estate of a deceased person, or (2) the property in a trust account.
  • Bail: Security given for the release of a criminal defendant or witness from legal custody (usually in the form of money) to secure his/her appearance on the day and time appointed.
  • Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. Source: OCC
  • Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
  • Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
  • Dependent: A person dependent for support upon another.
  • Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
  • Fiduciary: A trustee, executor, or administrator.
  • Forbearance: A means of handling a delinquent loan. A
  • Fraud: Intentional deception resulting in injury to another.
  • Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
  • Grand jury: agreement providing that a lender will delay exercising its rights (in the case of a mortgage,
  • Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
  • Indictment: The formal charge issued by a grand jury stating that there is enough evidence that the defendant committed the crime to justify having a trial; it is used primarily for felonies.
  • Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
  • Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
  • Oath: A promise to tell the truth.
  • Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
  • Personal property: All property that is not real property.
  • Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
  • Precedent: A court decision in an earlier case with facts and law similar to a dispute currently before a court. Precedent will ordinarily govern the decision of a later similar case, unless a party can show that it was wrongly decided or that it differed in some significant way.
  • Probable cause: A reasonable ground for belief that the offender violated a specific law.
  • Probate: Proving a will
  • Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
  • Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
  • Subpoena: A command to a witness to appear and give testimony.
  • Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
  • Usury: Charging an illegally high interest rate on a loan. Source: OCC