**OFFICE** OF**THE A** **’ ITORNEY**  **GENERAL OF**  **TEXAS AUSTIN** 

Xonorablr AndrewPatton Dlrtriot Attorney Dallar County Dallas, Tex.rr

ottary **rtatutrr**

pt **o?** your raquert **ctor** I. Q.” rrdlo **work** oaoh work I#

our appreolatlon r0r ml your **brief** which ooaply 6399,Ravirod Clril Stat09 th8 brhr rubalttrdr

eraa 18 prsasntrd weak ror ahalf hour mmroial rponror. Thr promm a motion plcturr

an intsrd8alon bstaaaa **plo**
phono hr mlvlner tho **red10** and pioture rhori sudienor that ho ha8 rav8ral asmlrtant8, raoh with aportable microphoar, aaong thr aaabarm of ths audionor. ThrHonorobls AndrrwPatton, pagr 2

announoar reqursts ona of his aseIstants to ohoose amombe

r of the andirnor who is wIllIng **to** answar a question sbout to **br** propounded. Thr announoar than propounds the 

### question, l :vIsI~ the Farson ohosw that If he oan answsr thr question hs will br paid a stated stimof nonry. In the OVOBttho correct OB8W.r ir &iV@B,ths monryIs tbsrr paid to tha mombrr.or tha audlrnoa **who** thus **assisted** In the **vmrk,** and thr asslrrtant announcaT8 **peas** on through the audlrnor ohooslng othar got:; with whomtha proaass Is rrpeatrtl. **emnt** that ths parson chosen oannot andwar thr question, or glvrs the wrong answar, thr asslstant announoIr, nrvarthalrss, ooopansatre himfor his efforts by presenting himwith 6 box of acrohandlsa on behalf or the sponsor of tho program,

**“ As**  an Illustration oi the questions aotuslly propounds&, soaa that have brsn used arm: nlzbo 

### wonthr 1939 National League pennant?’ WgIsIt poealbla to makefresh wator out of salt water?’

“‘In 19lf,, Inwhat nation was thr olty OSWsrsaw?*
wFor the **oorreot** answer to thr first quastion, $9.00 ms p&Id: for the sroond uastlon % $5.00; an4 for ths third quertlon 8.00. In tha avant th:t any on8 of ths questiona was not answerrd correctly, tha sponeorr gsta the person whobadvoluntrcrrd to trr to answrr the question a box of merohandlsa. Therr ir BO Oontrst b&wean the various menbars of the SUdIsBO6, 8imr if tha first person **chosen** do68 **not** prO94rly answsr the quartion, ths annoUnoar onthr eta&o advises all of t&r 

### l udianor what tha oorrsot amwcr Is, and an rntiralf blrrerent qutstion IS presantrd to the nart par-Honorable AndrewPatton, poet 3

son whovolunteers. The mnbera of the audIen whovolunteer to try to answer tho qurstlons propounded, rcaeln at their plaoes In tho thsatre and &peakthrough a portable mlorophone.
“?I0maaber of the audlanoo 18 oompellet5 or ureed to pertloipata, but an7 memberof the audlenoe whowishes to do so marhavs an opportunity to try to answer a QUeZItiOB.
*In afldltlon to that portion of the programhereinabove outlined, awards are m&e by those whopresent the show to Forsells whorend In questIons that ara ohvam for propoutilng i andother awards ara nade to those mezibers of the audionot whocan oorrectlf answer alist of questIons whioh the announcer stater. EaahmemberOfthe audionor has a tally oar6 upon Hhlohha MI cheek as right or wrong each rtate~ont included In this list. Usually, th6re are niar or tan such statomante, such as: ‘A latohet Is a shoostrIng. * Zvarjrmember of the azlenoe has an equal opportunity to answer thepuostlona, **an6** l aohof those who oorreotly answer 811 of the puestlons Is peld an equal srmunt for his contribution Ofhis talmt to the cvenl~e'e entertalnaent. There Is no drawing, no ‘luoky BUaborn, nor price, to be droI4ed by lot, luok or chance. Instaad, each person who p3rtlcipetes Is paid for tls partlolpatlon In Qlreot proportion to the value 0s his servlors. - t3ootion 17 0s Artlole III or the Constitution or Texas reads:

“TheLegislature shall pass laws prohibiting the rstablishment Oflotteries and girt anterprIses In thls state, es well as the sale of tickets In lotteries, gift enterprises or othsr ava6Iona Involving the lottery prinolpal, establlehed or exIstlng, in other etatos.mHonorable AndrewPatton, pa(3e4

FUrWant to 6uOh command the LsgIslature pasasd Artlols 634 of the Fens1 Code, whioh reads 48 r0iim8r*If any parson shall estsblIah a lottart or dIsposa 0sany estate, real or personal, by lottery, ha shall be flnad not lese than One Hundred ($100) Doll4r8 normore than OneThouBand ($1,000) Dollars; or If sny parson shall mall, offer for sale or keep for sala snr tIokets or part tIoketr in sky lottery he shell be fined not less than TOBt than Fifty (850!10) Dollars nor more

Dollare.”

in City or Kink v6. crirrith A!nunure~eBtcoinpan7, 100 9. K. (26) 695, (Ter. Sup. Ct.), the oourt said:
"The **State** Penal Code does not dafin0 8 lottsrr, but our oourts have interpreted it in aocordanoe with pub110 **usage,** to mean8schsme or plan xhioh pro~Iaes for a dIstrlbutlon of crItes bf or¬ amongthose whohave paid, Or agreed to pay, a oOn1idaratioB **for** the right to pertlolpate theraon. 28 Tax. Jur. p. 409, 880. 2, and oases olted in the Betas.*
ThaFederal Ciroult Court of Ap 7eala in the oase of Paek vs. United States, 61 **F.** (2d 973. ha8 given the r0ii0wi~ dafInItIon 0s **a** lottery:

*Aschema for tha dIatrIbutIon 0s prizes or thInp,s of value by lot or ohanoe among persons who hsve paid or agree to pay avaluable oonsIder~tion for the ohanca to obtain a prize. Andagain: Asohwne by ?&Ioh I raeult Is reaohsd by some aotlon or means takan, iBwhloh result man’s oholce or till har no pert, nor can humanreason, . . . sagacity or design ensble him to knowor detsrmIne

. . . until the same has barn aoacrnplished.WEonorabla AndrewbttOB , ps~a 5

Vndtr your statamant Ofthe fact8 48 quoted by us, two of the elements of a lottery are clearly dlsaernlbla, 1. a., aprlra In money or thing or vslua, end papsat 0s a ooBr.ideration for tb ohanoa to partlolpats In the pro&yamthrough attendance et the theatra, paying SBadmIssIoB price therefor. ?:hether the l

lament of chance Is 8uffIoItntly est4blIshed Is amore perplexing problem ,

In the 0080 0s Boatwright v. state, ii8 Tex. Cr. R. 381, 

### 3e 8. w. (24) 87, the Court or Criminal Appeals held that a punoh board wherein were pleoad different checker problems, the earnsto be oompleted by the.pertlclpent efter paying a Set for the prIvIlege of playlw, did not constitute a lottery,
even though prlzes were awarded those working out the **best** solution. Wequota from the oplnlorrr

*An;7sohame for the di8trIbUtIOB ~ofprizes **by** ohanoa, under our etatuta, Is a 1otterJ. paaen v. State, 

### 93 Tex. Cr. R. 

### 173, 246 5. F. pl,; Stawer v. State, 107 Tex. Cr. R. 574, 298 S. **K.** 906. Thephrase ‘earns of oh4Bca’ Is defInad In 27 Corpus Jurls at page 968, as SollOws: *It Is a earnsdetrrmInad entirely or In psrt by lot or mere luck, and In which judgment, praotlce, skill or adroitness have honestly no

### orrioe et all, or are thwertad by ohanoe; agas8 In ahloh haaard entirely predomInatss. @
%Ithout approving In Its entirety the foregoing dafInItIon when oonsIdared In oonneotlon with our statute denounolng lotteries, It Is observed that the success of the player In the earna under consideration dapends upon praotlca, l r perIan0e, or skill, Other thanthe ordinary ohenoa or oontInC.cnor which is Involved iB practically every humenendeavor, the element or chance Is not prdent, Thaprize Is drawn ae a rerrard for the skill of the 91awl and not br ohrnoe. Theprsdomlnant l laaent In the game Is one of skill.

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## iwo .

Eonorablr AndrowPatton, psgr 6

SOIalso MoFsri. Statr, 46 Tax. Cr. R. 489, 81 9. 1. 741; Roit v,. Dally Craphlo, 230 H. Y. s. 360, 103 A. L. R. 870.

Fros a oarrful study 0r tbr 6rolrlonr aa 

### l qlied **to** thr faOt8 prsaantrd by you, we oorxludr thatthe m6lo program doer not rlolatr thr lottery law oi thlr Stat@.

Trutatlng that weham aetlsfaOtOrl1~ anewerd your lquiry, we are, Yours v6ry truly

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