OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS 

AUSTIN 

Hon. Clint A. Barham 

County Attorney 

Erath- coullty 

BtqhentQl;le, 

or. All or those pa* 

in thee* numberaa aeatu 

e~~softhe&ow,andatthi and 

or the show atitenaatata rolle a 

eel around 005tabliU6 (111 the 

0 aeats 05 small tlOket8. 805a 

to draw a nunbar end the man aittlng lo the seat whose number omzegponds wltb 

the number that .ls drawn is &mm t&O raoney 

Ln addition tci this the cbai68105 tan 

$?&rtidrnight 1e iire omts high&r than 

it is on the othbr ,week nfBhls8.” 
Hon. Clint A. Barham, April E6, 1939, Page 2 

asotion 47) 

reads as follows: 

Article 3 of the State Constitution 

Vhe Leglslauure shall pass laws prohlblting the establishment of lotteries aad gift 

enterprises In this state, as well as the sale 

or tickets in lotteries, gift enterprises or 

other evasions Involving the lottery principle, 

established or ex.ist&ng in other 5tates.v 

Ori a5y person shall establl5helott#q 

or bispme or any eetate, real or per8Onal* by 

lottery, he &all be Sined not leas than 050 

hundred nor more~thau 05e thoiman4 dollars1 

.or. If my pewon sh+l aal& gffer r0r sale or 

keep *or: we. any tfa$et or part ticket in auy 

ldttery, a+-1 be $+¬ leas tha5 taq~: 

. nor: mr+ th&u ~lft~.d~Ilara~~~ 

The te& *lOttarf'.has no teoh5ioal slgnUloi-. 

tion~ In the law'and srioae opt statute does .not pr@lbe 

& definition; lta wqning mat be deteirained from popular 

utlagq. doooavling~to?&at Wqti a lottery'ls a #ohm@ for 

the distribution oi.prIcea~.by lot e.ohanoa amo5g Wore 

who have paid oi hare agreedit pay a aonslderatloP,i~ 

.t@ right to partialpate th@r~in~~.ar the dietributtoa~ltState t(l. Randle U.Tex$-dpQI; Featherstaa T& 

$&~Ieu$ Seqvioa St&ion &asoahtlon of Texaa,,~lO 81 

&d lB4; Bodtright',vfL .StA$a; 58 BW,$htd 87; Te% W. 

'Vol. 2S, yage UQ.~: 

In the:'oase'of Featheratone vs. Independent Bar- 

. vim Station fi+n+tion; >upira; the oourt gave the iollowing derlnlt$on to,~ a lott?:', 

*A lottery ror all praotioal purposes w 

bs derined air any soheme ror the distribution 

0r ~ieekt, by lot or ohcL50dr for one on swing 

money or giving ,othay thing of.vslue to another 

obtains a token yhiah.entitlee h* to xeeeive 

a larger or am@ler value or no qbe, aa scma 

tormula or ahanae may.:detarx&W& _ 

T, 
Eon. Clint A. Sarham, April 26, 1939,'Page 3 

The Federal Cirauit Court of Appeals in the 

case OS Peek VB. United Safes, 61 Fed 2nd 973, deiined 

: a-,lottery as: 

-‘A scheme for the distribution of prizes 

or things or value by lot or chanoe emong 

persons who have paid or agreed to pay a veluable aonsiderat3.on for the change to obtain a 

prize. A~hame by whioh a rent&% Is reaohed 

by some aotion or m t&ma; In whIoh result 

mm's oholoe or uIll hu no part, nob &II hmran 

PeMOIl, Mgaolty or duIg5 enable hlil to knew 

or deter&m umtIl tha.? h+ 'been aeoomplIsbad.a 

The Supreste C&t la the #~e.oi City Ot id 

vs. Orlillt Amwmment 00.; 

lnglanguage: 

loosws5d 695;usadths+ollawWmr0 a theatai eonduoted '8ank l?lgit* 

at whl 

P 

money weus awarded, after rihowiug 

or the%mvIng pietWo, by drari56 number front 

xi 

lque &araphemalIdby members .oZ audlenoe, 

at publio oould pattloipate without paylx@ 

a&n$asIon or ~t;hoat'sate.ring theater did not 

prevent the ~ohkme'fmm~'beIng lottery. 

wQmio'e at a prlzq d&gnated ait free awl 

glvin with purohaee q'not'bn raot tree though 

. 

artlole pmohasml b.wcuth &ll ploe as respeots whether triwaotion eeonatltutes alottery 

-but paymeat for~qhanoe Is embraoed in part or 

purchase prIoei*" 

In the aase.of Qraqt vs. State, 112 Sk'lC68, the 

court he&d, among other thlngs,'thatr 

; 

*2very drawIn& &are money.or property la 

offered a8 prlees to JM dfltributed by ohahoe 

aocording to a specktied soheme or.plan and a 

ticket or tickets-sold whIoh entitles the holder 

to money or property and whlal: is dependent upon 

ohanoe, is a lottery." 
Hon. Clint A. Berhsm, April 26, 1939, Page 6 

You are respectfully advised that It Is the 

opinion of this Department that a number system used by 

a theater where each seat In the theater Is mmbered and 

where a ticket Is selected or drawn from a number of 

tickets containing all the numbers on the seats end a 

money award or other thing ot value Is given to the person sitting In the seat that has a number corresponding 

with the nwnber drawn Is a lottery and the operation 

thereor 1s.a violation of .@tIcle 654 of the Penal Code. 

'lhsting that the f@regolng answers your inquiry, we remeln 

. 

._