N.Y. General Municipal Law 190-A – Raffles; license not required
§ 190-a. Raffles; license not required. 1. Notwithstanding the licensing requirements set forth in this article and their filing requirements set forth in subdivision four of section one hundred ninety of this article, an authorized organization may conduct a raffle without complying with such licensing requirements or such filing requirements, provided, that such organization shall derive net proceeds from raffles in an amount less than five thousand dollars during the conduct of one raffle and shall derive net proceeds from raffles in an amount less than thirty thousand dollars during one calendar year.
Terms Used In N.Y. General Municipal Law 190-A
- Authorized organization: shall mean and include any bona fide religious or charitable organization or bona fide educational, fraternal or service organization or bona fide organization of veterans or volunteer firefighters, which by its charter, certificate of incorporation, constitution, or act of the legislature, shall have among its dominant purposes one or more of the lawful purposes as defined in this article, 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 this article for a period of three years immediately prior to applying for a license under this article. See N.Y. General Municipal Law 186
- Games of chance: shall mean and include only the games known as "merchandise wheels" "coin boards" "merchandise boards" "seal cards" "event games" "raffles" and "bell jars" and such other specific games as may be authorized by the board, in which prizes are awarded on the basis of a designated winning number or numbers, color or colors, symbol or symbols determined by chance, but not including games commonly known as "bingo or lotto" which are controlled under article fourteen-H of this chapter and also not including "bookmaking" "policy or numbers games" and "lottery" as defined in § 225. See N.Y. General Municipal Law 186
- Lawful purposes: shall mean one or more of the following causes, deeds or activities:
(a) Those which shall benefit needy or deserving persons indefinite in number by enhancing their opportunity for religious or educational advancement, by relieving them from disease, suffering or distress, or by contributing to their physical wellbeing, by assisting them in establishing themselves in life as worthy and useful citizens, or by increasing their comprehension of and devotion to the principles upon which this nation was founded and enhancing their loyalty to their governments. See N.Y. General Municipal Law 186 - Municipality: shall mean any city, town or village within this state. See N.Y. General Municipal Law 186
- Net proceeds: shall mean (a) in relation to the gross receipts from one or more license periods of games of chance, the amount that shall remain after deducting the reasonable sums necessarily and actually expended for supplies and equipment, prizes, security-personnel, stated rental if any, bookkeeping or accounting services according to a schedule of compensation prescribed by the board, janitorial services and utility supplies if any, license fees, and the cost of bus transportation, if authorized by the clerk or department and (b) in relation to the gross rent received by an authorized games of chance lessor for the use of its premises by a game of chance licensee, the amount that shall remain after deducting the reasonable sums necessarily and actually expended for janitorial services and utility supplies directly attributable thereto if any. See N.Y. General Municipal Law 186
- Raffle: shall mean and include those games of chance in which a participant pays money in return for a ticket or other receipt and in which a prize is awarded on the basis of a winning number or numbers, color or colors, or symbol or symbols designated on the ticket or receipt, determined by chance as a result of:
(a) a drawing from among those tickets or receipts previously sold; or
(b) a random event, the results of which correspond with tickets or receipts previously sold. See N.Y. General Municipal Law 186
2. (a) For the purposes of this section, "authorized organization" shall mean and include any bona fide religious or charitable organization or bona fide educational, fraternal or service organization or bona fide organization of veterans, volunteer firefighters or volunteer ambulance workers that by its charter, certificate of incorporation, constitution, or act of the legislature, has among its dominant purposes one or more of the lawful purposes as defined in this article, 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 this article for a period of one year immediately prior to being granted the filing requirement exemption contained in subdivision one of this section.
(b) No organization shall be deemed an authorized organization that is formed primarily for the purpose of conducting games of chance and that does not devote at least seventy-five percent of its activities to other than conducting games of chance. No political party shall be deemed an authorized organization.
3. No person under the age of eighteen shall be permitted to play, operate or assist in any raffle conducted pursuant to this section.
4. No raffle shall be conducted pursuant to this section except within a municipality in which the authorized organization is domiciled that has passed a local law, ordinance or resolution in accordance with sections one hundred eighty-seven and one hundred eighty-eight of this article approving the conduct of games of chance, and in municipalities which have passed a local law, ordinance or resolution in accordance with sections one hundred eighty-seven and one hundred eighty-eight of this article approving the conduct of games of chance that are located within the county or contiguous to the county in which the organization is domiciled.