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1995 SESSION

LD6760176
HOUSE BILL NO. 758
Offered January 25, 1994
A BILL to amend and reenact § 18.2-340.1 of the Code of Virginia, relating to instant bingo.
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Patron--Cranwell
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Referred to Committee on General Laws
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Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 18.2-340.1 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 18.2-340.1. Definitions.

The following words shall have the following meanings:

1. "Organization" means any one of the following:

(a) A voluntary fire department or rescue squad or auxiliary unit thereof which has been recognized by an ordinance or resolution of the political subdivision where the voluntary fire department or rescue squad is located as being a part of the safety program of such political subdivision.

(b) An organization operated exclusively for religious, charitable, community or educational purposes; an association of war veterans or auxiliary units thereof organized in the United States; or a fraternal association operating under the lodge system.

2. "Bingo" means a specific game of chance played with individual cards having randomly numbered squares ranging from one to seventy-five, in which prizes are awarded on the basis of designated numbers on such cards conforming to a predetermined pattern of numbers selected at random. Such cards shall have five vertical rows headed respectively by the letters B.I.N.G.O., with each row having five randomly numbered squares.

3. "Raffle" means a lottery in which the prize is won by a random drawing of the name or prearranged number of one or more persons purchasing chances. However, nothing in this article shall prohibit an organization from using the State Lottery Department's Pick-3 number as the basis for determining the winner of a lottery. For purposes of this definition, "raffle" shall include determining the winner of a lottery by use of prepackaged pull-tab devices which are devices made completely of paper or paper products with concealed numbers or symbols that must be exposed by the player to determine wins or losses and may include the use of a seal which conceals a number or symbol that has been designated in advance as a prize winner including but not limited to pull-tab devices commonly known as tip boards or seal cards.

4. "Instant bingo" means a specific game of chance played by the random selection of one or more individually prepacked cards, with winners being determined (i) by the preprinted appearance of the letters B.I.N.G.O. in any prescribed order on the reverse side of such card, or (ii) in a two-step process involving the preprinted appearance of the letters B.I.N.G.O. in any prescribed order on the reverse side of such card, together with the identification of the holders of winning cards and the use of a circulating air device with numbered balls to determine the prize amount won by each holder of a winning card.

5. "Jackpot" means a bingo card played as a part of a bingo game defined in subdivision 2 in which all numbers on the card are covered, each number being selected at random, and with no free or "wild" numbers.

6. "Duck race" means a game of chance played by releasing numbered, inanimate toys (ducks) into a body of moving water. A person who has been assigned the same number as the first duck to cross a predetermined point in the water (the finish line) is the winner. Other prizes may be awarded on the basis of the order in which the ducks cross the finish line. Any and all restrictions and requirements applicable to the conduct of raffles in this article shall also apply to the conduct of duck races.