OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS **AUSTIN**

Honorable Ii~iner I&UTiSOli,3r., Director Departaant ot Publlo SafrtT **kUBti)l, Tea6** 

**Dear** 

### Sir:

$8 hare ror rep1 **requr6ting** the opinion of 6tat6d **QU66tiOn. IOUr**  **l-6**

eratad in the

ocredurrof pilling 

### nuabra fr6lu ruate preoodure f6 to ua* b63.i6 into slot6 to determine thewin- #a priZ66 rOr 6UOh numb6Z6 t0 I36 ertifioate& whiah me @xv3 atrarlOUB bU6$66S6 astebllabs@ntswithin the @ftJT.
*TheBe **operator6** cl&i that dua to the ruot that darts or ball8 me used that the ohaant or chnnoe ie reamed and that tk ~WWD beaone one oi 8kiU. The oaly differenoe betrscm

## 682

honorable %oztn Garrison, Jr., Page Z

thie oplsratianand the old bingo game ie the mfa~er inwhioh the winning numb4r6 are seleeted and the giting of ~perchandiseoextlfl~ater ratbar than Frl6e6 giren by the operator.

**"Pl6a66** advise in8 whether or not, I.6your oplnlon, thin operation would be 4violation of,the ganbllng **6tatUt66 of**  **our 8tate.w**  Article6 619, 620 and 6Zl of the Fenal Cod* oi Tex~readi an rOuOW6:

*Art. 619. If any person eh611 dlreotly, 

### or **a6 agent**  or employ8 

### for another, or through my agent or agents, **keep** or sxhiblt ror,the ~~~068 **0r ~aalng,**  **cm*** **poiiO7 t36366,**  **6~ g66hg**  

### table,bank, wheel 

### or device of lany mme 

### or deroription whatever, or 6ny table, bank, who.1
**or** devioe for the purpoi34or gmlngwblch ha6 90 name, or any c&et aaehime, any **pigeon** hole tabli, any Jersny-llndtable, or table ot any kind whfatwever ,regardleelior the 6~60 or whether nomad or not, he 6hall be ooniined In the penitentiary not 1866 the6 tur,nor more thau rOID y@&.rSregardless Of

### whether(myOf 

### the abare **mentioned -6,**  tabl46, b6nk6, wheel6* devioe6 

### or slot aaohLne6 are lieewmd by law or 

## not. any auoh table, bank, wheel, ruchlne or device shall bsoonaidered **66** uaad ror gimlng, it money or anything or mlue ia 

### betthsrwn.* 

## “#wt.620. It bsing lstendsd byths toreE ,~ lng articl46 to include every speaies of gamg dsvioe known ~byth4 mm6 of table or **bank, Of**  every kind WhateVer, **thi6 prOVi6fw**  **6&n be**  oonstruod to lnolude my aad 6l.lg6mes whloh in oomon language are aald to be played, dealt, kept or erhlbft4d.a
"art. 621. The following garp~sBFB within the acanlqg **and** intartloo of the tro pre6ediag artlole6, vie.: Faro, aonte, vLrigt et un, rouge 

### etnoir, roulette, A.&C., chuckeluak, irerio am% rondo; but the 6muum6tioa **0r** thea6 me6 6h6ll not 

### excludeanaotimrproperlydthln the aeanlag of **the** two prs6wliW krtfole6."lionorablaHomer Carrieon, 

### Jr.,Page 3

In Opinion NO. 0466, this department held that a "bingo* **&au14**operated under l plan elmoet ldsntloal to the one deeoribed in your letter wher61n 

### a player 

### via6 permltted to pitch e ball into e **box** end the number the ball stop6 on wa6 Odhd by the keOpOr, We6 fn violation Or the three **Al-tlC~46 of**  our Pan61 Cob4 **quotsd eEoVa.**  **P1e** 666 no reewn to hold airrermiy rhea the.ganu 16 plafld 

### by l eah partlolpaat throwing e dart Into a board with the number hit by euch dart being oalled 

### out by the operator Oftbgapw. Indeed, a “gaae" 

### a6 prohibitedby&tiCl~B 619, 880, end 621 of the Penal Co&, 18 a trial of eklll or ohanoe, between two or'mre wntendlng partlee, **aowrdlng** to **6oma** 

### rule **by** whloh each one my rail or **auooeed** in the **trial;** or **rkill,** a6 ohe66 or bllliarde; of ahence, aa raffler and 

### 6finplo lotterle8; or of ohanoo and ekill 

### wmbined, a6 beokga63ion,

### whbt, rm0, eta. Stearne8 v8. State, Sl **Tax.** 693; **Faaoett** v.'State, **4b** Tax. Cr. Bep. ll3, 79 5. W. 64th Condaqtuntly, 6vsn ohoul& tho gm66 of bl.ngagoo 4eroribe 

### beoharecterl6ed**86** R grew of 6kill **ratl*r** 

### than cimnae, (andwhich we **do** 

### not ccncede)the 6amewould 6tlll bo e *gamerthe keeping 

### or

### which 16prohibitedbyArtlalo 619 of the PenalCode. see Opinion I!Io. 0-S66,oogyo?whtoh **16 mnal.ord.** 



### ?or anothm 

### rea6onwe feel that tha 

### opentlon 0r 

### the bingo 

### guu in parstlonrould be Inviolationor-the Penal Larr-or 

### thirState. seotlon.47ofArtiolo Sof tho OonstltG **tion of**  **fiXA6 road6**  **as fO~OW6:** 



### "Thekgi616ture shell pa66 lawsprohlbltingtho e6tabll6hmaat 0r 

### l4tterler end &tt 

### enterprlee8in thi6 

### Itate,a6 wll:ca6 the **6d@** 0r ticket6 

### in lotterlo6, gift enterpri606, t2r **otbr** eveslone imolviag the lottery grfnolple, 66tabii6hed or 6XiBtlnl(.in 0th.l 6t6.t06.' Pureuent

tol ueh aoIQLaad tba Leglalature em&ted 

### article 664 0r the Peti code, which read6 a8 io110661



### *Ifany pereon 

### shall l 

### rtabllrha lottery **Or dlBp46C**  **Or R12y~6EifafOp**  **rGR1 Or**  **POrwmti.** 1by lottery, he 6hd51 be tin6d.not 16~6 th66 0~. mdred nor pylfethen Oae 

### thagsenddollagi oc ii WY WSWR 6hdl 64~. 

## 0rrsr ior sale or

## keepfor eelo any ticket or part t&O**k& in**  **any** lottery, he shall **be** 

## rlned **aot**ifonorablaEomer Garrison, Jr., Page 4

less then ten 

### nor WBIDP~ than fifty doL1ert.v
In the ais 0r city 0r ivinkV. mfritb gw80am bX+pMy, 100 Y. K. (Zd) 696 (Tax. Sup. Ct.), the aourt said:

'The atata penal coda dome not darlna a lottery, but our eourta have Interpreted It In accordauoe with public usage, to prep a schaae OP planwhloh provldaa for diafributlon Or p~:wS by OhMfM ~MIOAI%, thOM) 

### Wh0 hat4 

### paid or agreed to pay a uonaldaratlcm 

### ror the right to psrtiolpnte therein. 26 Tex. Jur. p. 409, emu. 2, and cases olted in the nota~.* ,

xn the 

## OQW

0rtairrith IlrPweua00. V.

## fiorlppn. 98 9. 3;.(26) BCC, it

### wa# held that the 

### elementsessential 

## toConstitute e lottery ara (1) a prize in aimnayOP 

### thing of rake; (2) dlatrlbution by thanom, end (3) paymamt, either d1racC.y EZ:lndiractlp or a valgablo~conalderetion ror the uhanca to win the prlee. 34~ also city of vi'lnk v. brlrfith AmusasientCO.. supre;~Featharatone v. Independent Sarvlaa Station Ass*n., 10 9. X. (2dJ 124; 3aak v. 3. S., 61 **Fed. (Zd)**  973; Grant v. State, ll.23. V. 106S; aa 0150 State V. Pa&al, 41 Tog. 298, and iIolamnv. State, 47 8. ST.830,wherein lt wee held thet any soheaa ior the distribution or prlraa by chenea is a lottery.

In the lusta.neaof the "bingo! gsme in ~uastlon 0 

### conai6aratloa

la paid by the patren for the right'to gsrtl&%peta In the g&us, and ii he is so iortanate as to win Be m~alvan a mrehendlse oartlrlaata or e pri~a. Thererare we take It the only question In yourmind as towhether **OPT**not the opaPatlan or such e gama'is lnvioW&xi or the lottery laws or this state. is whether or not the clamant of ohance exiatm. 58 bold 

### that It does. %%ile the 

### eklllof an fndlviduel patron might 

### be axerclaed when it ooaes his turn to throw the dart into the board 

### or toss the bell into the alot, how osn It be .zaeloteI.md that the entire &aua aonstltutaa ona of akill~rather then Or ehxnaa when 

### the eucoess of the indivldtml patron in riming dapmda not 

### only upon him own skill but also upon the skU1 or lQsPtltuda or his rellow patrona? We aeunot believe that a petron baaauaa
or his skiil has any better ohsmae of tinniag under aoeh e eehe1pa than ha aould bve In playing a slot machine. In PanQargast v. State, 41 Tex. Cr. Ii.'358,37 9. W. 651, the latter device Was held to constftute a lottery.Eonorabla Himer hrrimn, Jr., 

### PageJ

Cogaeyuantly, 

### wehold**end** 

### pu are raapeotrallp edvlaad 

### tbetthe oparatioa or a gam or "bingo* **under** the plan daaorlba8 la your latter would, 

### inadditiontobalu .+nviol~tfon of urtlolas 619, ba0, and Ml ol tha Penal Coda 

### ef thisState, be 

### inviol.ation 

### ofrrtlela6&dofour Panal Code ralatiss to the a8tabll8hmsnt or lottarlaa.

vary 

### trulyyotue
ATTIBtBEYGEBEWiL 

### OF !PEXAS