An Act To Streamline the Beano Laws
Maine Legislature, Session 123, LD 1723
Committee: Legal and Veterans Affairs
Sponsors: BRYANT, PLUMMER, DIAMOND
Amends: 17 MRSA §314, 17 MRSA §317, 17 MRSA §324-A, 17 MRSA §329

Legislative Document 
No. 1723 
H.P.1206 
House of Representatives, March 23, 2007 
An Act To Streamline the Beano Laws 
Reference to the Committee on Legal and Veterans Affairs suggested and ordered printed. 
Presented by Representative BRYANT of Windham. 
Cosponsored by Senator BRYANT of Oxford and 
17l~/J7.~ 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Representative: PLUMMER of Windham, Senator: DIAMOND of Cumberland. 
Printed on recycled paper 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1. 17 MRSA §314, 2nd ~, as amended by PL 1997, c. 684, § 1, is further 
amended to read: 
The fee for such a license to any nonprofit organization is ~ 
$12 for each 
calendar week, or portion thereof, that the amusement is to be operated, or the license 
may be issued for a calendar month for a fee of ~ 
$36 or a calendar year for a fee of 
$400. A special per-game license may be issued to any qualified nonprofit organization 
for the purposes of operating a game of "beano" or "bingo" for a fee of ~ 
$5. The 
special per-game license may not be issued more than 6 times to anyone organization in 
a calendar year. All license fees must be paid to the Treasurer of State to be credited to 
the General Fund. A license is not assignable or transferable. Nothing contained in this 
section may be construed to prohibit any volunteer fire department or any agricultural fair 
association or bona fide nonprofit charitable, educational, political, civic, recreational, 
fraternal, patriotic, religious, veterans' organization or auxiliary of any of them from 
obtaining licenses for a period not to exceed 6 months on one application. No more than 
one license may be issued to any organization for anyone period. No more than one A 
licensee may not operate or conduct -a- more than one game of "beano" or "bingo" on the 
same premises on the same date. 
Sec. 2. 17 MRSA §317, first ~, as amended by PL 1999, c. 74, §2, is further 
amended to read: 
The Chief of the State Police has the power to adopt rules, not inconsistent with law, 
that are necessary for the administration and enforcement of this chapter and for the 
licensing, conduct and operation of the amusement commonly known as "Beano" or 
"Bingo" and for the permitting and operation of commercial beano halls. 
The Chief of 
the State Police has the power and authority to regulate, supervise and exercise general 
control over the operation of such amusement and commercial beano halls, including, but 
not limited to, the payment of prizes and the use of equipment. Any rule adopted by the 
Chief of the State Police concerning the value of prizes that may be awarded must include 
a provision that no single prize may exceed $400 $500 in value and that no more than 
$1,400 in total prizes may be awarded on anyone occasion. In establishing such rules, 
which are routine technical rules pursuant to Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter ll-A 2-A, 
the Chief of the State Police must, in addition to the standards set forth in other 
provisions of this chapter, use the following standards setting forth conduct, conditions 
and activity considered undesirable: 
Sec. 3. 17 MRSA §324-A, sub-§2, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 452, Pt. I, § 10 and 
affected by Pt. X, §2, is amended to read: 
2. Games of chance before "beano." A person may not conduct a lottery or other 
game of chance during the period of one hour before the conduct of any "beano" game at 
the specific location of the "beano" game, except that the following lotteries may be 
conducted during the period of one hour 2 hours before the conduct of "beano" games. 
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A. 
Lottery tickets issued by the State Liquor and Lottery Commission may be sold 
when a valid license certificate issued by the commission is properly displayed. 
B. 
Raffle tickets may be sold in accordance with chapter 14. 
C. 
Lucky seven or similar sealed tickets may be sold when that game of chance is 
licensed by the Chief of the State Police and when a valid license certificate is 
properly displayed. Notwithstanding the other provisions of this section and section 
312, lucky seven games may be conducted during the period beginning 2 hours 
before and ending 2 hours after a "beano" game. 
Notwithstanding any other rule, lucky seven or other similar sealed tickets may be 
sold that have a sale value of $1 or less. 
Sec. 4. 17 MRSA §329, first ~, as enacted by PL 2003, c. 353, § 1, is amended to 
read: 
A person conducting or assisting in the conduct of beano may assist a player by 
playing that player's cards while the player takes a restroom, smoking or refreshment 
break. This section does not apply to the conduct of high-stakes beano. 
Sec. 5. Rules. By July, 1, 2007, the Chief of the State Police shall amend the rules 
of the Department of Public Safety, Bureau of State Police, Chapter 3, which are routine 
technical rules pursuant to Title 5, chapter 375, subchapter 2-A, pertaining to the conduct 
of beano. The amended rules must provide: 
1. That seats for a beano game may be reserved for parties of 10 or more players; 
2. That a player may purchase a fixed number of beano cards at the beginning of the 
game to be randomly generated by the computer and distributed to the player during the 
course of the beano game; 
3. That a small fee may be charged for the use of an electronic dauber for playing 
beano; 
4. That a licensee may electronically change the games on the beano dauber; 
5. That the cost per beano card may be determined based on the retail value of 
individual games; and 
6. That a licensee may charge a fee for exchanging electronic daubers or previously 
purchased but unplayed beano cards. 
SUMMARY 
This bill amends current law to allow different organizations to conduct beano games 
at the same location on the same day and extends the time at the beginning of beano 
games when games of chance may be sold. This bill also allows beano workers to assist 
players by marking their beano cards when the players have to leave their seats. 
It 
increases the prize limit on individual games to $500. Finally, this bill directs the Chief 
of the State Police to make certain changes to the rules pertaining to the conduct of beano 
games, including permitting the licensee to reserve seats at a beano game for parties of 10 
or more and to charge a fee for the use of electronic beano daubers. 
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