Tex. Const. art. 3, § 47 — Article 3 / Section 47
Texas Constitution Article 3, Section 47
Status: in_force

PROHIBITION ON LOTTERIES AND GIFT ENTERPRISES; EXCEPTIONS FOR CHARITABLE BINGO, CHARITABLE RAFFLES, AND STATE LOTTERIES. (a) The Legislature shall pass laws prohibiting lotteries and gift enterprises in this State other than those authorized by Subsections (b), (d), (d-1), and (e) of this section. (b) The Legislature by law may authorize and regulate bingo games conducted by a church, synagogue, religious society, volunteer fire department, nonprofit veterans organization, fraternal organization, or nonprofit organization supporting medical research or treatment programs. A law enacted under this subsection must permit the qualified voters of any county, justice precinct, or incorporated city or town to determine from time to time by a majority vote of the qualified voters voting on the question at an election whether bingo games may be held in the county, justice precinct, or city or town. The law must also require that: (1) all proceeds from the games are spent in Texas for charitable purposes of the organizations; (2) the games are limited to one location as defined by law on property owned or leased by the church, synagogue, religious society, volunteer fire department, nonprofit veterans organization, fraternal organization, or nonprofit organization supporting medical research or treatment programs; and (3) the games are conducted, promoted, and administered by members of the church, synagogue, religious society, volunteer fire department, nonprofit veterans organization, fraternal organization, or nonprofit organization supporting medical research or treatment programs. (c) The law enacted by the Legislature authorizing bingo games must include: (1) a requirement that the entities conducting the games report quarterly to the Comptroller of Public Accounts about the amount of proceeds that the entities collect from the games and the purposes for which the proceeds are spent; and (2) criminal or civil penalties to enforce the reporting requirement. (d) The Legislature by general law may permit charitable raffles conducted by a qualified religious society, qualified volunteer fire department, qualified volunteer emergency medical service, or qualified nonprofit organizations under the terms and conditions imposed by general law. The law must also require that: (1) all proceeds from the sale of tickets for the raffle must be spent for the charitable purposes of the organizations; and (2) the charitable raffle is conducted, promoted, and administered exclusively by members of the qualified religious society, qualified volunteer fire department, qualified volunteer emergency medical service, or qualified nonprofit organization. (d-1) The legislature by general law may permit a professional sports team charitable foundation to conduct charitable raffles under the terms and conditions imposed by general law. The law may authorize the charitable foundation to pay with the raffle proceeds reasonable advertising, promotional, and administrative expenses. A law enacted under this subsection applies only to an entity defined as a professional sports team charitable foundation under that law and may only allow charitable raffles to be conducted at games or rodeo events hosted at the home venue of the professional sports team associated with a professional sports team charitable foundation. In this subsection, "professional sports team" means: (1) a team organized in this state that is a member of Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League, the National Football League, Major League Soccer, the American Hockey League, the East Coast Hockey League, the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, Minor League Baseball, the National Basketball Association Development League, the National Women's Soccer League, the Major Arena Soccer League, the United Soccer League, or the Women's National Basketball Association; (2) a person hosting a motorsports racing team event sanctioned by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), INDYCar, or another nationally recognized motorsports racing association at a venue in this state with a permanent seating capacity of not less than 75,000; (3) an organization hosting a Professional Golf Association event; (4) an organization sanctioned by the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association or the Women's Professional Rodeo Association; or (5) any other professional sports team defined by law. (d-2) Subsection (a) of this section does not prohibit the legislature from authorizing credit unions and other financial institutions to conduct, under the terms and conditions imposed by general law, promotional activities to promote savings in which prizes are awarded to one or more of the credit union's or financial institution's depositors selected by lot. (e) The Legislature by general law may authorize the State to operate lotteries and may authorize the State to enter into a contract with one or more legal entities that will operate lotteries on behalf of the State. (Feb. 15, 1876. Subsec. (a) amended and (b) and (c) added Nov. 4, 1980; Subsec. (a) amended and (d) added Nov. 7, 1989; Subsec. (a) amended and (e) added Nov. 5, 1991; Subsec. (a) amended and (d-1) added Nov. 3, 2015; Subsec. (d-1) amended and (d-2) added Nov. 7, 2017; Subsec. (d-1) amended Nov. 2, 2021.)