IIM MATlOX 

ittomry General 

714 Ju~sO% Suila 700 

Dnllu. TX 7929249m 

2lu742d944 

1001 Trrnh SUN* IQ) 

140urlon. TX. 77002.3111 

7132239d99 

W5 8robdwny. Suit* 312 

Luoeock, m 794015179 

9ou747.9239 

4wa w. tmtn. sdt* s 

McAlhn, Ix 78901.1999 

91-7 

200 M6lrl ?lu8.8ullroe 

kn *ntodo, TX 792052797. 

91aa94191 

An Equal ooporluniw 

Ammalk6 Acllon Employu 

The Attorney General of Texas 

December 31, 1985 

Ilonorablc Benjamin Curesti, Jr. 

Cameron County Attorney 

9lb E. Barrieon Street * 

Bromsv~lle, texaa 78520 

opinion lo. m-412 

RC: Vhetb er l "camin nite' 

rpooaored by l school dletrlct 

would violate tbc Penal Code 

prohibItlone against gambling 

Daar Mr. Eurceti: 

Tov ask vbat’hsr a ‘camho ulte” epooeorad by a school dletrlet 

vould violate the Taxer Panel Code prohibitioae l ~a inegambling. t The 

“ceelno nita" d+e,::ribed in your letter vi11 be pert of l sradrution 

function in vhlch aacb studant vfll be given a met 6mount of play 

money to uee at qxrlour tablae vharc cards or other games of chance 

are to be played. At l preset time, the gamer vill cloea and the play 

money vi11 be ueal l itbar to bid In an auction for donated prizer or 

to eater lotteries for donated prize*. lo charge vlll be made to any 

student, aa an rdmirrlon fee or othervine, for taklag part in the 

“casino nite.' 

Baeed .011 these factr, you l nk saver&l qucctione 6bout rpecific 

prwlefoor of tbe feue Penal Code regardins gerbllog. All of your 

queetione, bovevm, relate either to the elawnte of or to the 

defanrce to the cr:Y~minal offmne of gambling. Tba offenee of gambling 

ie met fortb in l o c tio11.02 n of tbe Paoal Cede: 

(a) A person comite an offense if be: 

('1:) ukee a bet oo the perthl or final 

reexAt of a ga8e or contact or on the parformaam of a participant in a gama or eontert; 

W ulcer a bet on tbe remit of any 

pol*t:Lul oomiaatioo, 6ppointment. or election 

or :m tbe degree of l uc c eee of en9 nominee, 

l ppobmtaa. or candidate;- or 

(3’) plate and beta for umey or other thin& 

of value at any game plqed w%tb urde, dice, 

--- 

OT b6:Lle. (Emph6eie addid). 

p. 1884 
______---_ ---, c-- __----_, --_ --.- _ ,-.. ---, 

’ , 

The tam 5et.” em used in this section, is daflned la rection 

47.01 aa follove: 

(1) ‘Bet’ wane an agreement thet, dependent 

a8 cbenee even though l ccompanlad by non6 rkill, 

one stands to vh or lore l omatblng of value. . . . 

[Followed by l xctptione not applicable here]. 

The lagal l a a nlnof g %ot” involvae not 0019 the ultimata vhnlng of 

something of value but the initial giving or agreement to give 

something of value. See Odle v. State, 139 S.Y.2d 595, 591 (Tax. 

Grim. App. ,19hO, no vrix’rav’d on other grouud6. 578 S.Y.Zd 411, 413 

n. 1 (Tu. Grim. App. 19795; Cllie v. Stete, 189 S.U. 1076, 1075 (Tax. 

Grim. App. 1916, no uric:). Pour, in Texan, three basic element6 

cumprire the offenra of grmbliag: COn6id6T6tims chance. and prize. 

In the “cenino nita” fomat that you deecrlba in your request 

letter, no charge vi11 btr made to any student for taking part %n the 

“ceelno uite.’ In Monte Carlo Parties, Ltd. v. Webb, 322 S.E.2d 246, 

248 (Ga. 1984). thee?8 Suprme Court construed a Georgia gambling 

statute that is similar to tbe Texan ntatute and concluded that 6 

“Cenino Right” format lo which no guest is required to pert vlth anything of value to partic~peta in gamer l&eke the conrideratioa element 

of tbe offenre of gambling. A Texas court applied l imilar reasoning 

dth regard to a “lottery,” a nubcategory of gambling Offeo6eS under 

section 67.03(s) of tha! T6X68 Penal Code, 6nd concluded that an 

offense occurred, in prwt, becaura the players verc required to 

purch6ee bingo cards in ‘order to p6rtleiprte. See State v. Awets 

Poet Number SO, 541 S.W.:!il 481, C82 (Tax. Civ. Apr- Dblh6 1976, oo 

vrit) . Consequently , $16 believe tbat the l reential element of 

cweideretion in the offense of gambling is tinning from the “carino 

nite” format tbat you dewribe. 

A "ca&lno n!.te” fotwat in vblcb DO parson giver 

or promieee to Sire anything of yalue in order to 

earticioate lmke tbe l lemeet of consideration 

ibat is’ l eeent:~~l to the offmea of g6abliag under 

eectiw 47.02 of tba Taxer Penal Code. 

Attorney General of Texas 

p. 1gM 

_- 
JACK IICBTWER 

liret Aeeietent Attorney C~!r~eral 

ItAm rntn 

Executive Aeeietent Attornq General 

ROBERT GRAY 

Special Aeeietant Attorney General 

RICK GILPIN 

Cluiman, Opinion Camnittar 

Prepared by Jennifer Riggs 

Aeeietant Attorney General 

p. 1666