An Act To Amend the Laws Governing the Operation of Tournament Games by Charitable Organizations
Maine Legislature, Session 126, LD 0121
Committee: Veterans and Legal Affairs
Sponsors: WILSON
Amends: 17 MRSA §1836

Legislative Document 
No. 121 
H.P. 103 
House of Representatives, January 29, 2013 
An Act To Amend the Laws Governing the Operation of 
Tournament Games by Charitable Organizations 
Reference to the Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs suggested and ordered printed. 
MILLICENT M. MacFARLAND 
Clerk 
Presented by Representative WILSON of Augusta.  (BY REQUEST) 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  17 MRSA §1836, sub-§2-A is enacted to read: 
2-A.  Members and nonmembers may conduct tournament games.  
Notwithstanding section 1835, subsection 2, an organization licensed to conduct a 
tournament game may permit persons who are not members of the organization to 
conduct a tournament game on behalf of the organization.  An organization licensed to 
conduct a tournament game may compensate nonmembers who conduct the tournament 
game in an amount not to exceed 20% of the total revenue from entry fees received for 
the tournament game.  At least one member of the organization licensed to conduct a 
tournament game must be present at all times when the tournament game is being 
conducted. 
Sec. 2.  17 MRSA §1836, sub-§4, as amended by PL 2011, c. 325, §4, is further 
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 $200, 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 $125 $225.  An organization that holds a per tournament license 
may collect up to $150 $250 to defray 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 no more than one 50/50 raffle per tournament 
with a prize value up to $1,000.  This subsection does not prohibit a licensee from 
conducting one winner-take-all hand per tournament game with a bet limit of $5.  The 
total number of bets received in a winner-take-all round must be awarded to the winner or 
in the case of multiple winners divided among them as evenly as possible.  All prizes 
awarded in accordance with this subsection must be paid in cash. 
SUMMARY 
This bill amends the laws governing the operation of tournament games by charitable 
organizations.  Current law requires that only members of the organization may conduct 
tournament games.  This bill allows the charitable organization to hire nonmembers to 
conduct the tournament games.  Compensation paid to nonmembers for conducting a 
tournament game is limited to 20% of the gross revenue from the entry fees collected for 
the tournament game.  The bill also increases the maximum entry fee for tournament 
game players.