An Act To Revise the Laws on Tournament Games
Maine Legislature, Session 125, LD 0974
Committee: Veterans and Legal Affairs
Sponsors: MALONEY, PATRICK, BEAULIEU
Amends: 17 MRSA §1836

Legislative Document 
No. 974 
H.P. 718 
House of Representatives, March 8, 2011 
An Act To Revise the Laws on Tournament Games 
Reference to the Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs suggested and ordered printed. 
HEATHER J.R. PRIEST 
Clerk 
Presented by Representative MALONEY of Augusta. 
Cosponsored by Senator PATRICK of Oxford and 
Representative: BEAULIEU of Auburn. 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  17 MRSA §1836, first ¶, as enacted by PL 2009, c. 487, Pt. A, §2, is 
amended to read: 
The Chief of the State Police may issue a license to conduct a tournament game as 
provided in under this section to an organization eligible to conduct beano games under 
chapter 13-A and games of chance under this chapter to conduct up to 5 tournament 
games per month.  For purposes of this section, "tournament game" means a game of 
chance played using a deck of cards with rules similar to poker or other card games.  The 
Chief of the State Police may not issue a tournament game license to an organization 
more than once per month. 
Sec. 2.  17 MRSA §1836, sub-§3, as enacted by PL 2009, c. 487, Pt. A, §2, is 
repealed. 
Sec. 3.  17 MRSA §1836, sub-§3-A is enacted to read: 
3-A.  License.  The fee for a tournament game license is $100 per tournament game, 
$300 per month or $1,200 per year. 
Sec. 4.  17 MRSA §1836, sub-§4, as enacted by PL 2009, c. 487, Pt. A, §2, is 
amended to read: 
4.  Tournament.  The organization licensed to conduct a tournament game under this 
section shall display the rules of the tournament game and the license issued.  The 
maximum number of players allowed is 100 unless the tournament game is held on 
premises owned by the licensee, in which case the maximum number of players allowed 
is 300.  Winners are determined by a process of elimination.  The use of currency is 
prohibited as part of tournament game play.  The maximum entry fee to play in the 
tournament game is $100, except the organization may add to the player entry fee to 
defray the cost of the license fee, as long as the total additional amount collected from all 
players does not exceed $200 the cost of the license fee.  Only one entry fee is permitted 
per person.  A tournament game must be completed within 48 hours. Other games of 
chance on the premises are prohibited during a tournament game, except for lucky seven 
or similar sealed tickets and 50/50 raffles with a prize value up to $1,000.  This section 
does not prohibit a licensee from conducting one winner-take-all hand per tournament 
game with a bet limit of $5. 
Sec. 5.  17 MRSA §1836, sub-§6, as enacted by PL 2009, c. 487, Pt. A, §2, is 
amended to read: 
6.  Cost of administration; surplus.  The Chief of the State Police may retain, from 
license fees collected in accordance with subsection 3 3-A, only an amount necessary to 
defray the costs of administering this section.  All fees collected in excess of the amount 
necessary to defray the costs of administration must be allocated as follows: 
A.  Forty percent to the Fractionation Development Center; and 
B.  Sixty percent to the General Fund. 
SUMMARY 
This bill revises the laws concerning tournament games of chance involving playing 
cards by allowing up to 5 tournament games per month and by replacing the graduated 
license fee that is determined by the number of players with a flat fee of $100 per 
tournament game, $300 per month or $1,200 per year.