An Act to Allow a Person or Organization Conducting a Raffle to Use an Approved
Maine Legislature, Session 132, LD 0863
Committee Amendment CA_A_H226 (House)
Amends: 17 MRSA §1837-C

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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A" to H.P. 549, L.D. 863, "At~ Act to Exempt 
Internet Raffles Conducted by Certain Organizations with Prizes of $2,500 or Less from 
Registration and Licensing Requirements" 
Amend the bill by striking out the title and substituting the following: 
'An Act to Allow a Person or Organization Conducting a Raffle to Use an Approved 
Payment Management System' 
Arneti.d the bill by striking o~t everything after the ~nacting clause. and insetting the 
following:· 
1Sec.' 1. 17 MRSA §1837-C, as enacted by PL 202 l, c. 636, §3, is amended toread: 
• §1837-C. Raffle entry by payment management system 
1. Definitions. As used in this section, unless the context indicates otherwise, the 
following te11ns have the following meanings. 
• 21 
A. 
11Geolocation technology
means a computer program or data collection system that 
can be used to identify the geographic location of a person an individual interacting 
with that computer progra111 or data collection system through the Internet. 
B. 
11Payment management system
means a mobile application or other digital 
platform and the accompanying computer software used to accept payment for a raffle 
chance or ticket through the Internet. 
2. Use of payment management system. When conducting a raffle under section 
1837-A that is not an Internet raffle, an eligible a person or organization may accept 
payment for a raffle chance or ticket from a payment management system if: 
A. The payment management system is approved by the director under subsection 3; 
B. The raffle chance or ticket is purchased by fli3ei'SOO an individual who is at least 18 
years of age; and 
Page I • l32LR1444(02) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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5. 
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• COMMITTEE AMENDMENT •A" to H.P. 549, L.D. 863 
C. The raffle chance or ticket is purchased by a person an individual who is physically 
located in the State or another state where the purchase of that raffle chance or ticket 
would be legal under the laws of that state." • 
If the eligible person or organization determines that the purchase of a raffle chance oi• 
ticket is made in violation of paragraph B or C, the person or oi·ganization shall immediately 
refund the payment and void the raffle chance or ticket associated with the purchase. 
If the eligible person or organization conducts a raffle in which a winner receives a firearm, 
the transfer of that firearm to the winner must be processed through a holder of a federal 
license for a dealer in firearms who is not a dealer in destructive devices undei· 18 Uhited 
States Code, Section 923(a)O)(B). 
An eligible A person or organization that fails to comply with this subsection commits a 
civil violation punishable by a fine of not less than $500 and not more than $5,000 ... 
3. A.pprov·a1 of payment management system, Upon reque~t from an eligible .!! 
person or Ol'ganization, the director may approve a payment management system .for use 
by the person or organization in conducting a raffle that is not an Internet raffle only if tl:ie 
director determines that the payment management system: 
A. Does not permit the extension of credit from the eligible person oi· organization to 
a person an individual who purchases a raffle chance or ticket; 
B. Does notpennit a person an individual to initiate a transaction to purbhase a raffle 
chance or ticket and finalize the transaction by providing payment by mail; 
C. ln_cludes adequate measures to ensure that a-peffiefl an ind_ividual who purchases a 
raffle chance or ticket is at least 18 years of age; 
• 
D. Includes geolocation technology to determine with a reasonable degree of cettainty 
the state in which a person an individual who purchases a rafffe chance or ticket is 
physically located at the time the purchase is made and allows an eligible a pers·on or 
organization to prevent a person an individual from purchasing a raffle chance or ticket 
while the 13erse-n individual is physically located in a state where the purchase of that 
raffle chance or ticket would not be legal under the laws of that state; 
E. Provides for the immediate refund of any payment to purchase a raffle chance or 
ticket made by a person an individual who the person or organization discovers is under 
years of age at the time of purchase or was physically located in a state where the 
raffle being conducted is not legally permitted at the time of purchase; 
F. 
Includes adequate measures to protect the privacy and security of payment 
information submitted by persons individuals who purchase raffle chances or tickets· 
during the purchase process; and 
G. 
Enables the eligible person or organization to satisfy the record-keeping and 
repo1ting requirements in subsection 6 as well as any other requirements established 
by the Gambling Control Unit by rule. 
4. Payment; eligible organization. A payment management system approved by the 
director under this section may pennit the use of a debit card or other payment method that 
the an eligible organization as described in section 1832.· subsection 2 uses to accept 
membership dues from out-of-state members and may allow a member of the eligible 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
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COMMITTEE AMENDMENT •A" to H.P. 549, L.D. 863 
organization to request that payment for a raffle chance or ticket be made using the 
member's funds already within the possession•ofthe eligible organization. 
5, Guidance for raffle operators. Upon receipt of a request to approve a payment 
management system under subsection 3, the director shall provide the eligible person or 
organization with a guidance document including any information the director determines 
necessary to assist the eligible person or organization in complying with tf1e requirements 
of this section, 
6. Record-keeping and reporting requirements. In addition to the record-keeping 
requirements under section 183 9, an eligible a person or organization that uses a payinent 
management system to conduct a raffle under section 1837-A for which a registration is 
required ·shall: 
A. Retain for a period of 3 years an electronic copy of each receipt for the sale of a 
raffle chance or ticket sold using the payment management system; 
-B. Retain for a period of one year a physical copy of each raffle ticket stub generated 
by the sale of a chance or ticket for a raffle sold using the payment management system; 
C. Maintain raffle ticket stubs retained under paragraph A qr B separately for each 
• individual raffle; 
D. Provide receipts for raffle chances or tickets and raffle ticket stubs retained under 
this subsection to the Gambling Control Unit on request; and 
E. Submit an annual report to the Gambling Control Unit that includes the number of . 
raffles conducted using a payment management system during the year covered by the 
repott and the amount of gross receipts for each of those raffles. 
An eligible A person or organization that fails to comply with this subsection ·commits a 
civil violation punishable by a fine of not less than $500 and not more than $5,000, 
• Sec. 2. Appropriations and· allocations. The following appropriations and 
allocations are ·made. 
PUBLIC SAFETY,.DEPARTMENT OF 
Gambling Control Board Z002 
Initiative: Provides funding for one Office Specialist II position and associated costs: 
OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS 
POSITIONS - LEGISLATIVE COUNT 
Personal Services 
All Other 
OTHER SPECIAL REVENUE FUNDS TOTAL 
2025-26 
1,000 
$97,159 
$4,865 
$102,024 
2026-27 
1.000 
$100,613 
$4,865 
$105,478 
Amend the bill by relettering or renumbering any nonconsecutive Patt letter or section 
number to read consecutively. 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT "A to H.P. 549, L.D. 863 
SUMMARY 
This amendment replaces the bill and changes the title. The amendment authorizes a 
person or organization conducting a raffle that is not an Internet raffle to use a payment 
management system approved by the Executive Director of the Gambling Control Unit 
within the Depatiment of Public Safety for accepting payment for a raffle chance or ticket. 
FISCAL NOTE REQUIRED 
(See attached) 
COMMITTEE AMENDMENT 
Approved: 04/23/25 LRL 
LD 863, 
LR 1444(02) 
An Act to Exempt Internet Raffles Conducted by Certain Organizations with Prizes of $2,500 or Less 
from Registration and Licensing Requirements 
Fiscal Note for Bill as Amended by Committee Amendment "A' (H ~ 2_U) 
Appropriations/Allocations 
Other Special Revenue Funds 
iscal Detail and Notes 
Committee: Veterans and Legal Affairs 
'T 
Fiscal Note Required: Yes 
Fiscal Note 
FY 2025-26 
$102,024 
FY 2026-27 
$105,478 
Projections 
FY 2027-28 
$109,185 
Projections 
FY 2028-29 
$112,837 
This bill changes certain requirements regarding the use of payment management systems for raffles that are not 
internet raffles. The Gambling Control Unit within the Department of Public Safety has indicated that the additional 
administrative requirements of this bill would require additional staffing and resources. The bill includes ongoing 
Other Special Revenue Funds allocations of $102,024 to the GCU beginning in fiscal year 2025-26 for one Office 
Specialist II position and associated costs. 
LR1444(02) - Fiscal Note - Page 1 of 1