An Act To Allow a Maine-chartered Financial Institution To Conduct a Savings Promotion Raffle
Maine Legislature, Session 124, LD 1673
Committee Amendment CA_B_S418 (Senate)
Amends: 17 MRSA §1831

COMMITTEE AMENDMENT ".B " to S.P. 645, L.D. 1673, Bill, "An Act To 
Allow a Maine-chartered Financial Institution To Conduct a Savings Promotion Raffle" 
Amend the bill by striking out everything after the enacting clause and before the 
summary and inserting the following: 
'Sec. 1. 17 MRSA §1831, sub-§5, as enacted by PL 2009, c. 487, PI. A, §2, is 
amended to read: 
5~ Game of chance. "Game of chance" means a game, contest, scheme or device in 
which: 
A. A person stakes or risks something of value for the opportunity to win something 
of value; 
B. The rules of operation or play require an event the result of which is determined 
by chance, outside the control of the contestant or participant; and 
C. Chance enters as an element that influences the outcome in a manner that cannot 
be eliminated through the application of skill. 
For the purposes of this subsection, "an event the result of which is determined by 
chance" includes but is not limited to a shuffle of a deck of cards, a roll of a die or dice or 
a random drawing or generation of an object that may include, but is not limited to, a 
card, a die, a number or simulations of any of these. A shuffle of a deck of cards, a roll of 
a die, a random. drawing or generation of an object or some other event the result of 
which is determined by chance that is employed to determine impartially the initial order 
of play in a game, contest, scheme or device does not alone make a game, contest, 
scheme or device a game of chance. For purposes of this chapter, beano aru:l~ bingo and a 
savings promotion raffle are not games of chance. 
Sec. 2. 17 MRSA §1831, sub-§13, as enacted by PL 2009, c. 487, Pt. A, §2, IS 
amended to read: 
.. Raffle. "Raffle" means a game of chance in which: 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "/3" to S.P. 645, L.D. 1673 
A. A person pays or agrees to pay something of value for a chance, represented and, 
differentiated by a number, to win a prize; 
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B. One or more of the chances is to be designated the winning chance; and 
C. The winning chance is to be determined as a result of a drawing from a container 
holding numbers representative of all chances sold. 
"Raffle" does not include a savings promotion raffle. 
Sec. 3. 17 MRSA §1831, sub-§14-A is enacted to read: 
14-A. Savings promotion raffle. "Savings promotion raffle" means a promotion 
offered by a financial institution authorized to do business in this State as defined in Title 
9-B, section 131, subsection 17-A or a credit union authorized to do business in this State 
as defined in Title 9-B, section 13l, subsection 12-A in which the sole consideration 
required for a chance of winning the designated prize in the raffle is the deposit of at least 
a specified amount of money into a savings account or other savings program and in 
which: 
A. The. savings account or other savings program provides interest at a comparable 
rate to other savings accounts or savings programs offered by that financial institution 
,or credit union, with the interest accruing for the benefit of the account holder, and 
allows account holders access to deposited money; 
B. The total of the designated prizes for each raffle does not exceed $1,000 or the 
fair market value of $l,000 in cases when an item or items of merchandise are the 
designated prizes; 
C. The promotion is offered no more than 2 times per year; and 
D .. The telIDS and conditions of the promotion are disclosed to account holders and 
prospective account holders of the financial institution or credit union.' 
SUMMARY 
This amendment is the minority report of the committee and replaces the bill. The 
amendment authorizes both state-chartered and federally chartered financial institutions 
and credit unions to conduct savings promotion raffles. The amendment amends the 
definition of "game of chance" and "raffle" to exclude a savings promotion raffle 
conducted by a state-chartered or federally chartered financial institution or credit union. 
The amendment defines "savings promotion raffle" as a promotion in which the sole 
consideration for winning is the deposit of a certain amount of money in a savings 
account or other savings program. The amendment requires that the savings account or 
other savings program provide interest at comparable rates to the account holder and 
allow an account holder access to the savings. 
The amendment limits a financial 
institution or credit union to 2 savings promotion raffles per year and caps the total 
amount of designated prizes per promotion at $1,000. 
EEA 'ENDMENT 
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