Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 271, sec. 23 — MA Code / Part IV / Title I / Chapter 271 / Section 23
Oath and warrant to enter gaming or lottery place, arrest persons and seize implements and materials; disposal of articles
Status: in_force

Section 23. If a person makes oath before a district court or justice of the peace authorized to issue warrants in criminal cases that he suspects or has probable cause to suspect that a house or other building, room or place is used as and for a common gaming house, for gaming for money or other property, or is occupied, used or kept for promoting a lottery, or for the sale of lottery tickets, or for promoting the game known as policy lottery or policy, or for the buying or selling of pools or registering of bets upon any race, game, contest, act or event, and that persons resort thereto for any such purpose, such court or justice, whether the names of the persons last mentioned are known to the complainant or not, shall, if satisfactory evidence is presented, issue a warrant commanding the sheriff or his deputy or any constable or police officer to enter such house, building, room or place, and to arrest the keepers thereof, all persons in any way assisting in keeping the same, whether as janitor, doorkeeper, watchman or otherwise, all persons who are there found participating in any form of gaming and all persons present whether so participating or not, if any lottery, policy or pool tickets, slips, checks, manifold books or sheets, memoranda of any bet, or other implements, apparatus or materials of any form of gaming are found in said place, and to take into their custody all the implements, apparatus or materials of gaming, as aforesaid, and all the personal property, including money, furniture and fixtures there found, and to keep said persons, implements, apparatus or materials, property, including money, furniture and fixtures so that they may be forthcoming before some court or magistrate to be dealt with according to law. The provisions of chapter two hundred and seventy-six relative to disposal of gaming articles seized upon search warrants shall apply to all articles and property seized as herein provided for; provided, however, that such provisions shall not apply to gaming conducted pursuant to chapter 23K and shall not apply to sports wagering conducted pursuant to chapter 23N.

Section 23. If a person makes oath before a district court or justice of the peace authorized to issue warrants in criminal cases that he suspects or has probable cause to suspect that a house or other building, room or place is used as and for a common gaming house, for gaming for money or other property, or is occupied, used or kept for promoting a lottery, or for the sale of lottery tickets, or for promoting the game known as policy lottery or policy, or for the buying or selling of pools or registering of bets upon any race, game, contest, act or event, and that persons resort thereto for any such purpose, such court or justice, whether the names of the persons last mentioned are known to the complainant or not, shall, if satisfactory evidence is presented, issue a warrant commanding the sheriff or his deputy or any constable or police officer to enter such house, building, room or place, and to arrest the keepers thereof, all persons in any way assisting in keeping the same, whether as janitor, doorkeeper, watchman or otherwise, all persons who are there found participating in any form of gaming and all persons present whether so participating or not, if any lottery, policy or pool tickets, slips, checks, manifold books or sheets, memoranda of any bet, or other implements, apparatus or materials of any form of gaming are found in said place, and to take into their custody all the implements, apparatus or materials of gaming, as aforesaid, and all the personal property, including money, furniture and fixtures there found, and to keep said persons, implements, apparatus or materials, property, including money, furniture and fixtures so that they may be forthcoming before some court or magistrate to be dealt with according to law. The provisions of chapter two hundred and seventy-six relative to disposal of gaming articles seized upon search warrants shall apply to all articles and property seized as herein provided for; provided, however, that such provisions shall not apply to gaming conducted pursuant to chapter 23K and shall not apply to sports wagering conducted pursuant to chapter 23N.