reglab/statecodes huggingface dataset:
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIFTEEN - Sports and Parks (§§ 1 — 2020) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 915) › Chapter 3 - Parks (§§ 41 — 61) › § 58 - Dr. Juan A. Rivero Zoo

(a) It is hereby provided that the Mayagüez Zoo be designated as the Dr. Juan A. Rivera Zoo.
(b) The Public Structures and Roads Commission of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico shall take the necessary measures to comply with the provisions of this section without being subject to the provisions of §§ 178—182 of Title 23.
History —Jan. 19, 1998, No. 32, §§ 1, 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIFTEEN - Sports and Parks (§§ 1 — 2020) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 915) › Chapter 3 - Parks (§§ 41 — 61) › § 59 - Doctor José Celso Barbosa Third Millennium Park

(a) It is hereby directed that the Third Millennium Park in San Juan be denominated as the “Doctor José Celso Barbosa Third Millennium Park”.
(b) The Structures and Public Highways Commission shall take the necessary steps to comply with the provisions of this section, without being subject to the provisions of §§ 178 et seq. of Title 23.
(c) The Department of Transportation and Public Works shall erect a monument in honor of José Celso Barbosa in the “Doctor José Celso Barbosa Third Millennium Park” in coordination with the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, which shall incorporate to said monument the most significant incidents and contributions of this illustrious man, in the fields of education, medicine, politics, cooperativism, journalism, and the overcoming of racial barriers.
History —Dec. 18, 1999, No. 346, §§ 1—3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIFTEEN - Sports and Parks (§§ 1 — 2020) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 915) › Chapter 3 - Parks (§§ 41 — 61) › § 60 - José del Carmen “Pinky” Nieves-Rivera Fire Station

(a) The Fire Station of the Municipality of Aguas Buenas is hereby designated as the José del Carmen “Pinky” Nieves-Rivera, Fire Station.
(b) The Public Structures and Highways Naming Commission of the Institute of Puerto Rican Culture is hereby relieved from the designating function as conferred by law.
History —June 22, 2000, No. 108, §§ 1, 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIFTEEN - Sports and Parks (§§ 1 — 2020) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 915) › Chapter 3 - Parks (§§ 41 — 61) › § 61 - Miguel Ángel Luzunaris-Soto Baseball Complex

(a) The Little League Baseball Complex is hereby designated as the “Miguel Ángel Luzunaris-Soto Baseball Complex”, in order to pay homage to the person who was the advocate for the creation of Little League baseball teams in Humacao.
(b) The Puerto Rico Public Structures and Highways Naming Commission, the Sports and Recreation Department, and the Municipality of Humacao shall take the necessary measures to comply with the provisions of this section without being subject to the provisions of §§ 178 et seq. of Title 23, known as the “Public Structures and Highways Naming Commission of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Act”, for purposes of the designation herein required.
History —Oct. 8, 2015, No. 170, §§ 1, 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIFTEEN - Sports and Parks (§§ 1 — 2020) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 915) › Chapter 5 - Games of Chance (§§ 71 — 91) › § 71a - Slot machine service attendants and technicians

(a) Every slot machine service attendant and technician who ceases to work for the Tourism Company as a result of being contracted by a licensee pursuant to the provisions of § 71(c) of this title, shall receive from the Tourism Company for a period of one year, while employed by a licensee as a slot machine service attendant or technician, an additional remuneration equal to forty-five percent (45%) of his/her basic salary as of May 31, 1997, as compensation for the loss of fringe benefits that the slot machine service attendant or technician enjoyed during his term of employment with the Tourism Company. This payment shall be made in twelve (12) monthly payments, provided the employee continues working for a licensee as a slot machine service attendant or technician.
(b) Every slot machine service attendant or technician affected by §§ 71—79 and 85—89 of this title shall have the option to waive his/her right to be employed by a licensee, resign from the Tourism Company. In this case, the Tourism Company shall pay him/her the basic salary equivalent to one year. Every slot machine service attendant or technician wishing to avail him/herself of this option shall have up to sixty (60) days after the approval of this act to file a petition in writing to such effect with the Executive Director of the Tourism Company in order to avail him/herself of this benefit.
(c) The Tourism Company is expressly exempted from having to extend other benefits to the slot machine service attendants or technicians who cease to work for the Tourism Company due to the approval of this act.
(d) The Tourism Company shall prepare a list of the employees of the Tourism Company who are eligible to fill the positions of slot machine service attendant or technician, to be distributed among the licensees. This list shall include the name of the employee, his/her experience and employment qualifications. The licensees must make their job offers to the employees included in said list pursuant to the provisions of this section.
History —May 15, 1948, No. 221, p. 750, added as § 2a on June 26, 1997, No. 24, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIFTEEN - Sports and Parks (§§ 1 — 2020) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 915) › Chapter 5 - Games of Chance (§§ 71 — 91) › § 71b - Untransferable power to remove, collect and enter in the books the moneys obtained from the slot machines

(a) The Tourism Company is hereby granted the exclusive and untransferable authority to:
(1) Remove, collect and enter in the books all the moneys and/or tokens obtained from the slot machines, regardless of whether the slot machines are owned by or under the control of the Tourism Company or a holder of a license to operate games of chance under §§ 71—79 and 85—89 of this title;
(2) carry out the distribution of all the moneys produced by the slot machines, as provided in § 74 of this title. The Commissioner of Financial Institutions and the holder of a license for said gambling room shall, at their discretion, take part in removing the moneys and/or tokens from the slot machines located in their gambling rooms and in the process of verifying the amount of the funds generated by said machines;
(3) verify and certify the deposit in any payment cylinder and any jackpot prize;
(4) fulfill any other responsibilities needed to comply with the purposes of §§ 71 et seq. of this title.
History —May 15, 1948, No. 221, p. 750, added as § 2b on June 26, 1997, No. 24, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIFTEEN - Sports and Parks (§§ 1 — 2020) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 915) › Chapter 5 - Games of Chance (§§ 71 — 91) › § 75 - Games of chance in licensed gambling rooms, authorized—Terms of license; change of ownership

Any license issued by the Commissioner of Financial Institutions under §§ 71—79 and 85—89 of this title shall state the name of the licensee and the hotel where the operation of a gambling hall is authorized. No person other than the licensee and his/her employees shall operate a gambling room, nor shall the same be located at a place other than the one designated in the license. No transfer, assignment or cession of any share of or interest in the license shall be carried out without having previously obtained the written approval of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions and paid the amount of fifteen thousand dollars ($15,000) to defray the costs of the investigation incurred by the Commissioner of Financial Institutions pursuant to the provisions of § 73 of this title. Any transfer, cession or assignment without the prior approval provided hereinbefore, or the concealment in any way of the real owner of the gambling room; or of any share or participation in the person holding a license, shall entail the cancellation of the license.
History —May 15, 1948, No. 221, p. 750, § 6; June 23, 1956, No. 90, p. 582, § 6; July 30, 1974, No. 2, Part 2, p. 587, § 5; June 26, 1997, No. 24, § 6.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIFTEEN - Sports and Parks (§§ 1 — 2020) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 915) › Chapter 5 - Games of Chance (§§ 71 — 91) › § 76 - Games of chance in licensed gambling rooms, authorized—License fees; zones

The license fees that according to § 74 of this title, must be paid by the licensees who operate facilities for games of chance covered by the provisions of §§ 71—79 and 85—89 of this title, are hereby fixed in the amounts established below:
TOTAL GAMBLED ANNUALLY FRANCHISE FEES
Less than 25 million $50,000
In excess of $25 million up to $50 million $100,000
In excess of $50 million up to $100 million $150,000
In excess of $100 million $200,000
The Tourism Company shall determine the gambling equipment that may be used in said facilities through the payment of such fees as well as the various types of games of chance authorized for each licensee. At the close of his/her tax year, each licensee must submit a copy of his/her certified financial statements to the Commissioner of Financial Institutions, accompanied by a special opinion of the authorized public accountant who certified them, in which the total amount gambled during the year is certified.
Notwithstanding the provisions of § 7 of Title 13, which creates the “Fund for the Investigation and Audit of Financial Institutions and Gambling Casinos”, and the provisions of §§ 2007 and 2018 of Title 7, the revenues on account of the license fees to operate gambling rooms shall be covered into the General Fund of the Commonwealth Treasury.
History —May 15, 1948, No. 221, p. 750, added as § 7 on July 20, 1989, No. 33, p. 108, § 2; June 26, 1997, No. 24, § 7.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIFTEEN - Sports and Parks (§§ 1 — 2020) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 915) › Chapter 5 - Games of Chance (§§ 71 — 91) › § 76b - Requirements for granting licenses to slot machine service technicians and attendants

(a) The Tourism Company shall not grant any license whatsoever to slot machine service technicians or attendants to work in a gambling room until the applicant for said license proves to the satisfaction of the Tourism Company, that the holder of the license of the gambling room where he/she intends to work has offered employment to all slot machine service technicians or attendants employed by the Tourism Company.
(b) The Tourism Company shall adopt those regulations it deems necessary and convenient to comply with the purposes of this section.
History —May 15, 1948, No. 221, p. 750, added as § 7(a) on June 26, 1997, No. 24, § 9.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIFTEEN - Sports and Parks (§§ 1 — 2020) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 915) › Chapter 5 - Games of Chance (§§ 71 — 91) › § 77 - Supervision of gambling rooms—Promotion and advertising; prohibition to admit persons under 18 years of age

(a) No person under eighteen (18) years of age shall be admitted to any gambling room.
(b) It shall be illegal for any holder of a gambling license or his/her agents or employees to advertise or offer any gambling room to the public in any other way, except when the publicity is directed to the foreign tourists and not to the residents of Puerto Rico. Provided, however, That an advertisement directed to the foreign tourists shall not be illegal should it incidentally reach the residents of Puerto Rico.
(c) The type of advertisements permitted by §§ 71—79 and 85—89 of this title include, but is not limited to the following:
(1) Advertisements or promotions to be distributed or placed in:
(A) Airplanes that have landed in Puerto Rico;
(B) cruise ships sailing the territorial waters of Puerto Rico;
(C) areas restricted for passengers in an airport, and
(D) tourist piers;
(2) advertisements or promotions of gambling rooms published in magazines whose distribution in Puerto Rico is directed mainly to foreign tourists, even though said magazines may also be available to the residents of Puerto Rico;
(3) advertisements or promotions in the movies, television, radio, newspapers and magazines which are published, recorded or filmed to promote foreign tourism, regardless of whether these may be incidentally shown or distributed in Puerto Rico, and
(4) advertisements or promotions of the gambling rooms on the hotel premises.
(d) Under no circumstance shall it be understood that the above list limits any other type of advertisement or promotion, provided said advertisement or promotion complies with the public policy of promoting foreign tourism.
(e) None of the above shall be interpreted as to prevent that the name of a hotel includes the word “casino” or any other word implying that said hotel has a gambling room.
(f) The Tourism Company is hereby authorized to determine through regulations, the requirements that must be met by the advertisements of a gambling room pursuant to the provisions of this section.
History —May 15, 1948, No. 221, p. 750, § 8; June 26, 1997, No. 24, § 10.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIFTEEN - Sports and Parks (§§ 1 — 2020) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 915) › Chapter 5 - Games of Chance (§§ 71 — 91) › § 78b - Violations

In cases in which a person violates any of the subsections of § 78a of this title, once the violation has occurred, the Games of Chance Inspector, or other officer authorized by the Tourism Company, shall be immediately notified, so that he/she may notify the Puerto Rico Police for the pertinent action and, if necessary, the corresponding complaint shall be filed at the Puerto Rico Police. At the same time, the Inspector or any other authorized officer shall make a report of the incident to the Games of Chance Executive Director of the Tourism Company. Likewise, the Executive Director of the Tourism Company shall be notified by the Executive Director of the Games of Chance of the Tourism Company, who in turn, shall conduct an investigation and make a report of the incident which, after concluded, shall be remitted to the office of the Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company for pertinent action.
History —May 15, 1948, No. 221, p. 750, added as § 9b on Jan. 8, 2004, No. 11, § 4.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIFTEEN - Sports and Parks (§§ 1 — 2020) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 915) › Chapter 5 - Games of Chance (§§ 71 — 91) › § 79 - Supervision of gambling rooms; licensing of personnel—Personnel

The Tourism Company shall appoint any personnel which in its judgment is needed for the enforcement of §§ 71—79 and 85—89 of this title and its regulations, and said personnel shall not be included under Act No. 5 of October 14, 1975.
History —May 15, 1948, No. 221, p. 750, § 10; June 23, 1956, No. 90, p. 582, § 9; June 26, 1997, No. 24, § 12.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIFTEEN - Sports and Parks (§§ 1 — 2020) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 915) › Chapter 5 - Games of Chance (§§ 71 — 91) › § 79a - Effectiveness of 1974 amendment; restrictions

This act shall take effect immediately after its approval and its effectiveness shall be extended indefinitely as of July 30, 1974. The Legislature of Puerto Rico shall carry out an evaluation of the public policy established herein every five (5) years after the date of approval of this act.
History —July 30, 1974, No. 2, Part 2, p. 587, § 11; June 16, 1976, No. 5, § 4; June 26, 1980, No. 13, p. 895, § 2; July 30, 1982, No. 1, p. 213; July 2, 1985, No. 46, p. 166, § 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIFTEEN - Sports and Parks (§§ 1 — 2020) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 915) › Chapter 5 - Games of Chance (§§ 71 — 91) › § 80 - Games of chance (picas) prohibited except during fiestas

The establishment of games of chance (picas) played by the drawing of balls and horse races operated by a crank is hereby prohibited except on the occasion of fiestas of patron saints in the different towns and subject to regulation by the respective municipal legislatures, which are hereby empowered to make such regulations; Provided, That the municipal legislatures shall adopt ordinances defining the fiestas of their patron saints and the dates on which they shall be held in each municipality; Provided, further, That the authority of municipal legislatures shall be limited to the fiestas of the patron saints recognized by tradition; Provided, also, That the period of the fiestas shall not exceed ten (10) days in the course of any calendar year.
History —Apr. 23, 1927, No. 25, p. 166, § 1; Apr. 23, 1936, No. 46, p. 278, § 1; May 4, 1938, No. 63, p. 174.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIFTEEN - Sports and Parks (§§ 1 — 2020) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 915) › Chapter 5 - Games of Chance (§§ 71 — 91) › § 81 - Games of chance—Penalties

Persons violating the provisions of §§ 80—81 of this title shall be liable to a fine of not less than ten dollars ($10) nor more than one hundred dollars ($100).
History —Apr. 23, 1927, No. 25, p. 166, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIFTEEN - Sports and Parks (§§ 1 — 2020) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 915) › Chapter 5 - Games of Chance (§§ 71 — 91) › § 82 - Prohibition and definition of games of chance

The introduction, manufacture, possession, use or operation of vending machines that are used for games of chance or lotteries, and those known as slot machines and of any other sort, that are used for games of chance or lotteries in whatever form they are exploited, or any substitute thereof, shall be deemed to be illegal, and their introduction, manufacture, use, possession, or operation is hereby forbidden. Games of chance shall be deemed to be those that contain any of the following mechanisms or apparatus:
(1) An apparatus to accept wagers that are registered on a counter inside the machine.
(2) A mechanism to award cash prizes to the player, a coin dispenser (hopper) which awards the prize direct1y to the player, or a meter which can register or credit cash payments to the player.
(3) A knock-off switch to erase the credits once they are paid to the winning player.
(4) An apparatus or mechanism that causes the machine to function with total autonomy of the player for a predetermined cycle or space in time and which causes that the result of the game or operation of the machine is decided by chance or luck.
Any machine that does not have these mechanisms or apparatus shall be deemed as legal and shall be classified as “adult entertainment machines” as said term is defined in § 82a of this title.
History —Aug. 22, 1933, No. 11, p. 70, § 3; June 26, 1997, No. 22, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIFTEEN - Sports and Parks (§§ 1 — 2020) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 915) › Chapter 5 - Games of Chance (§§ 71 — 91) › § 82a - Definitions

For the purposes of §§ 82—84a of this title, the following terms shall have the meaning stated below:
(a) Adult entertainment machine. — Refers to those machines that do not have mechanisms or apparatus that are characteristic of gambling machines as it has been established by the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico, and § 82 of this title.
Entertainment machines for the exclusive use of children and youths, vending machines for cigarettes, food, refreshments or postage stamps, money changing machines, public telephones, and slot machines in the gambling halls of tourist hotels, authorized under §§ 71—79 and 85—89 of this title, are hereby excluded from this term. Provided That, the term “entertainment machines for the exclusive use of children and youths” refers to all those machines that do not award prizes to the players or that award toys or tickets to the player that can be exchanged for toys or other prizes which are not in cash, and are handed to them on the premises where the machine is located.
(b) Department. — Means the Department of the Treasury of Puerto Rico.
(c) Secretary. — Means the Secretary of the Department of the Treasury of Puerto Rico.
(d) Authorization. — Includes the right, permit or license issued by the Department of the Treasury.
(e) Business. — Means the fixed and permanent site or establishment in which all commercial operations of retail sale of products or services are performed, which, through a license issued by the Department of the Treasury, is authorized in its use permit from the Regulations and Permits Administration or amendments thereto, to install one or more adult entertainment machines.
(f) Owner. — Means that person who owns the adult entertainment machines.
(g) Person. — Means any natural or juridical person.
History —Aug. 22, 1933, No. 11, p. 70, added as § 3a on June 26, 1997, No. 22, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIFTEEN - Sports and Parks (§§ 1 — 2020) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 915) › Chapter 5 - Games of Chance (§§ 71 — 91) › § 83 - Games of chance—Penalties

The introduction, distribution, acquisition, sale, lease, transportation, location, placement, functioning, maintenance, operation, use, custody and possession of adult entertainment machines in businesses or establishments operating in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico is hereby authorized. When these are located and operated in a business authorized therefor, the permit for their use issued by the Regulations and Permits Administration shall establish that they must be located at a distance of over two hundred (200) meters from a public or a private school or from a church or congregation that seeks spiritual serenity.
Any owner of an adult entertainment machine to whom a license has been issued for the operation of such a machine shall be authorized to arrange for the renewal of such a license with the Department of the Treasury pursuant to this Act.
The Secretary shall be bound to ensure compliance with all the provisions of the laws in force and effect that concern adult entertainment machines. The Secretary shall likewise establish, through regulations, the necessary considerations to adequately supervise their management and taxation and the place where they may be located. He/she shall also establish the necessary procedure to ensure that every machine to be authorized as an adult entertainment machine is personally evaluated and certified to be an adult entertainment machine by the agents of the Bureau of Beverages and Licenses of the Department of the Treasury. He/she shall likewise determine the requirements and conditions for denying, suspending or revoking a license.
History —Aug. 22, 1933, No. 11, p. 70, added as § 4 on June 26, 1997, § 3; Dec. 11, 1997, No. 136, § 1; Nov. 22, 2005, No. 142, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIFTEEN - Sports and Parks (§§ 1 — 2020) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 915) › Chapter 5 - Games of Chance (§§ 71 — 91) › § 84 - Games of chance—Places may be closed

The directors and managers of any association, club, casino, or institution of a social, recreational or literary nature, having within their premises selling machines which may be used for gambling or lottery purposes, and of the kind known as slot machines (traganiqueles), or who permit on their premises the operation of said machines, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and punished by the penalty hereinbefore provided, and in case of recidivism in the commission of this offense such premises shall be considered as a public nuisance and the same may be closed by competent authorities.
History —Aug. 22, 1933, No. 11, p. 70, § 5, eff. Jan. 1, 1934.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIFTEEN - Sports and Parks (§§ 1 — 2020) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 915) › Chapter 5 - Games of Chance (§§ 71 — 91) › § 84a - Violations—Fines and penalties

(a) Administrative fine. — The Secretary shall impose an administrative fine on the owner of not less than five thousand dollars ($5,000) nor more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000) for each violation of §§ 82—84a of this title.
(b) Penalties. —
(1) Every owner of adult entertainment machines or any other person, operator, or attendant in a business or establishment that introduces the gaming machines described in § 82 of this title, considered games of chance machines, in said business, or uses or tries to use them therein, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction, shall he punished with a fine of not less than two hundred dollars ($200), nor more than four hundred dollars ($400), or by imprisonment for a term of not less than thirty (30) days nor more than sixty (60) days, at the discretion of the court. If it is a second conviction, a fine of not less than three hundred dollars ($300) nor more than five hundred dollars ($500) and a penalty of imprisonment of not less than sixty (60) days nor more than ninety (90) days, shall be imposed. Any subsequent conviction shall bring about a fixed fine of five hundred dollars ($500), and imprisonment for a period of six (6) months.
(2) Any person who violates any of the provisions of §§ 82—84a of this title or the regulations promulgated by the Secretary, shall be punished, upon conviction, with a fixed fine of five hundred dollars ($500) or imprisonment for a period of not less than two (2) months, nor more than six (6) months, or both penalties at the discretion of the court.
(3) Every person who prohibits or prevents the free inspection of businesses, establishments or places, by internal revenue or law and order agents, with the purpose of conducting investigations related to §§ 82—84a of this title, or the regulations promulgated by the Secretary, or who admits, advises, promotes, encourages or induces a person under eighteen (18) years of age to operate adult entertainment machines, shall incur a felony, and upon conviction thereof, shall be sanctioned with a fixed penalty of one thousand dollars ($1,000) and imprisonment for a term of not less than three (3) months nor more than six (6) months and one day, nor more than one (1) year.
Regardless of the penalties established in §§ 82—84a of this title, the Secretary shall attach and dispose of any adult entertainment machine that is operated without a license, or with an expired license or a license issued for another machine. The Secretary is further empowered to impose an administrative penalty for violations of his/her orders and the regulations promulgated thereunder, by a temporary suspension or permanent revocation of the rights and privileges enjoyecl by the natural or juridical person who is guilty of the violation, including the automatic revocation of all internal revenue licenses granted and administered by the Secretary.
History —Aug. 22, 1933, No. 11, added as § 5A on June 26, 1997, No. 22, § 5; Dec. 11, 1997, No. 136, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIFTEEN - Sports and Parks (§§ 1 — 2020) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 915) › Chapter 5 - Games of Chance (§§ 71 — 91) › § 86 - New types of games

The following games of chance are hereby authorized:
(1) Caribbean Stud Poker,
(2) Let it Ride,
(3) Big Six Wheel, and
(4) Pai-Gow
To be played in duly authorized gambling rooms in Puerto Rico. These types of games which are hereby authorized are added to the other types of games of chance which to the present have been duly approved by the Tourism Company through regulations.
History —May 15, 1948, No. 221, p. 750, added as § 12 on Sept. 3, 1996, No. 185, § 5.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIFTEEN - Sports and Parks (§§ 1 — 2020) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 915) › Chapter 5 - Games of Chance (§§ 71 — 91) › § 87 - Maximum betting limits allowed

The maximum betting limits that the Puerto Rico Tourism Company may allow at present for each game, shall be the following:
(1) Blackjack, Caribbean Stud Poker, Let it Ride, Pai-Gow and Craps—$10,000.00;
(2) Roulette—$1,000.00;
(3) Big Wheel Six—$500.00, and
(4) Baccarat—$25,000.00.
History —May 15, 1948, No. 221, p. 750, added as § 13 on Sept. 3, 1996, No. 185, § 6.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIFTEEN - Sports and Parks (§§ 1 — 2020) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 915) › Chapter 5 - Games of Chance (§§ 71 — 91) › § 88 - Regulations and interpretation

(a) The Commissioner of Financial Institutions and the Executive Director of the Tourism Company shall, in accordance to their powers and faculties under §§ 71—79 and 85—89 of this title, and within their respective areas of jurisdiction, adopt, amend or revoke the regulations deemed necessary or convenient to implement the purposes of §§ 71—79 and 85—89 of this title.
(b) The Tourism Company and the Commissioner of Financial Institutions shall use the procedure established in §§ 2101 et seq. of Title 3, or any law of an analogous nature that succeeds it, and shall comply with their respective enabling acts.
(c) The regulations thus approved shall be come effective once filed at the Department of State, pursuant to §§ 2101 et seq. of Title 3, or any law of an analogous nature that succeeds it.
(d) The interpretation and application of §§ 71—79 and 85—89 of this title shall be made in a way that the public interest prevails. Nothing that is provided in §§ 71—79 and 85—89 of this title shall be understood to limit the powers and faculties granted to the Commissioner of Financial Institutions pursuant to §§ 2001 et seq. of Title 7, known as the “Office of the Commissioner of Financial Institutions Act”, and the powers of the Tourism Company pursuant to §§ 671 et seq. of Title 23, known as “Puerto Rico Tourism Company Act”.
History —May 15, 1948, No. 221, p. 750, added as § 14 on June 26, 1997, No. 24, § 14; Jan. 8, 2004, No. 11, § 5.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIFTEEN - Sports and Parks (§§ 1 — 2020) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 915) › Chapter 5 - Games of Chance (§§ 71 — 91) › § 89 - General Fund of the Commonwealth Treasury

A maximum amount of up to thirty million dollars ($30,000,000) shall be remitted annually to the General Fund of the Commonwealth Treasury to be collected pursuant to the provisions of § 74 of this title during fiscal years 1997-98, 1998-99 and 1999-00.
History —May 15, 1948, No. 221, p. 750, added as § 15 on June 26, 1997, No. 24, § 15.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIFTEEN - Sports and Parks (§§ 1 — 2020) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 915) › Chapter 7 - Puerto Rico Lottery (§§ 111 — 128) › § 111 - Creation

An official lottery, to be known as “The Puerto Rico Lottery”, is hereby created. There is likewise created in the Department of the Treasury of Puerto Rico the Bureau of the Lottery, which shall have charge of everything concerning the direction and administration of the Puerto Rico Lottery. The Bureau of the Lottery shall consist of a Chief, an Assistant Chief, and such additional personnel as may be necessary to carry out its purposes. The Chief and the Assistant Chief of the Lottery shall be appointed by, and shall hold office at the pleasure of, the Secretary of the Treasury of Puerto Rico. The other employees shall be appointed by the Secretary of the Treasury of Puerto Rico, subject to the Public Service Human Resources Administration Act, §§ 1461 et seq. of Title 3, and to the rules and regulations promulgated for the enforcement thereof; and all of them, including the Chief and the Assistant Chief, shall receive such salaries as may be fixed in the special budget for the Bureau of the Puerto Rico Lottery to be approved annually for the purpose by the Legislature and shall be paid out of the funds to be created under the heading “Lottery Fund.”
History —May 15, 1947, No. 465, p. 1022, § 1; Apr. 5, 1951, No. 65, p. 146, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIFTEEN - Sports and Parks (§§ 1 — 2020) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 915) › Chapter 7 - Puerto Rico Lottery (§§ 111 — 128) › § 112 - [Issuance] of tickets; distribution

The [issuance] of lottery tickets shall unfailingly be in whole tickets, divided into not less than twenty fractions; Provided, That the Chief of the Bureau of the Lottery may, with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, distribute the tickets to the agents by whole tickets or in fractions, or both, at his discretion.
History —May 15, 1947, No. 465, p. 1022, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIFTEEN - Sports and Parks (§§ 1 — 2020) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 915) › Chapter 7 - Puerto Rico Lottery (§§ 111 — 128) › § 113 - Regulations for tickets and drawings

The number of tickets of each drawing, the value of each ticket, the prizes of each drawing, and the number of drawings to be held in any one month, shall be determined, and the dates on which said drawings are to be held shall be fixed, by the Secretary of the Treasury; Provided, That one or more special drawings shall be held annually, on such dates as may be approved by the Secretary of the Treasury on recommendation of the Director of the Lottery. The amount to be distributed in prizes shall not be less than sixty percent (60%) of the total value to be paid by the public for the tickets corresponding to each drawing. Lottery tickets shall be stamped with the price at which they are to be sold to the public. On the back of each fraction of a ticket shall appear a brief description of the particulars of each drawing, the number of tickets and the prizes corresponding to the drawing, and any other information or limitation provided by §§ 111—127e of this title which the Director of the Lottery and the Secretary of the Treasury may deem advisable.
History —May 15, 1947, No. 465, p. 1022, § 3; Nov. 23, 1955, No. 1, p. 46.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIFTEEN - Sports and Parks (§§ 1 — 2020) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 915) › Chapter 7 - Puerto Rico Lottery (§§ 111 — 128) › § 114 - Restrictions on sale of tickets

Lottery tickets shall be sold by the Director of the Bureau of the Lottery, his agents, and the itinerant peddlers dependent upon them, subject to such rules and regulations as the Secretary of the Treasury may promulgate. The agents of the lottery shall purchase the tickets for cash from the Director of the Bureau of the Lottery, who shall make them a discount in accordance with the schedule hereinafter referred to, but which shall in no case exceed twenty percent (20%) of the official price of the tickets; Provided, That in no case in which the official price of the ticket is or exceeds six dollars ($6) shall the discount to the agents be less than one dollar ($1).
The Director of the Bureau of the Lottery shall, with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, prepare and fix from time to time subject to the provisions of this section, the schedule of discounts to govern in the sale of tickets to the lottery agents and in the sale of the same to the itinerant peddlers, taking as a basis the official price of the tickets. Sale of the lottery tickets from agents to itinerant peddlers shall be in cash.
History —May 15, 1947, No. 465, p. 1022, § 4; June 24, 1968, No. 124, p. 286, § 2, eff. July 1, 1968.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIFTEEN - Sports and Parks (§§ 1 — 2020) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 915) › Chapter 7 - Puerto Rico Lottery (§§ 111 — 128) › § 115 - License; appointment of agents, identification

No person may engage in the sale of lottery tickets without first having an agent or itinerant peddler’s license duly issued. The agents for the sale of tickets shall be appointed by the Director of the Bureau of the Lottery with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury. The itinerant peddlers shall be appointed by the agents with the approval of the director of the Bureau of the Lottery, subject to such conditions as may be fixed by the rules and regulations. To accredit their character as sellers, the agents and itinerant peddlers shall carry with them their license, which they shall have to show as prescribed by the rules and regulations. Such regulation shall be drafted in a manner as to facilitate the task of the peace officers in preventing lottery tickets to be sold by non-authorized persons.
History —May 15, 1947, No. 465, p. 1022, § 5; June 24, 1968, No. 124, p. 286, § 3, eff. July 1, 1968.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIFTEEN - Sports and Parks (§§ 1 — 2020) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 915) › Chapter 7 - Puerto Rico Lottery (§§ 111 — 128) › § 115a - Licenses, granting, renewal, suspension and cancellation

(a) Granting. — The Director of the Bureau of the Lottery shall grant licenses as agent or itinerant peddlers of lottery tickets to those persons of age who have filed the corresponding application and who enjoy good repute in the community.
(b) Renewal. — These licenses shall be renewable as prescribed by regulations.
(c) Suspension and cancellation. — These licenses may be suspended or cancelled by the Secretary of the Treasury for any of the following reasons:
(1) For having engaged in the sale of lottery tickets as agent or itinerant peddlers without having renewed the overdue license.
(2) For having been convicted of a felony in a court of justice.
(3) For violation of any of the provisions contained in §§ 111—127e of this title or in the regulations adopted to complement same.
History —May 15, 1947, No. 465, p. 1023, added as § 5-A on June 24, 1968, No. 124, p. 286, § 4, eff. July 1, 1968.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIFTEEN - Sports and Parks (§§ 1 — 2020) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 915) › Chapter 7 - Puerto Rico Lottery (§§ 111 — 128) › § 115b - Seizure of lottery tickets; proceedings

Any peace officer who catches any person selling lottery tickets or fraction thereof, without the corresponding license, shall seize all the lottery tickets or fraction thereof in the possession of the peddler; shall report to the Director of the Bureau of the Lottery the numbers of tickets or fractions thereof seized, the number of the drawing corresponding to each one and the number of fractions of each ticket; and thereupon he shall deposit them as evidence at the secretary’s office of the corresponding part of the District Court. When any of the lottery tickets or fractions thereof, so seized should win a prize, the Director of the Bureau of the Lottery shall deposit the amount of the prize in the Secretary’s office of the Court, within the term of sixty (60) days, on and from the date on which the drawing of the prized tickets was held. After the judicial action of the criminal cause is terminated, if the person is found innocent and acquitted, the Secretary of the Court by an order of the court pronouncing judgment for such effect, shall deliver the amount of the prize corresponding to the winning lottery tickets or fractions thereof, to the persons who may result to be their owners. Whenever such person is found guilty of the crime charged, the prizes corresponding to the seized lottery tickets or fractions thereof shall remain for the benefit of, and shall be covered into the general funds of the Government of Puerto Rico, as soon as the judgment is final. In the event lottery tickets or fractions thereof should win a prize, if the person is found innocent and acquitted, the Secretary of the Treasury, after having been notified by the Secretary of the Court pronouncing judgment, with a certified copy of the acquittal in the criminal action shall reimburse to the person who may result as owner thereof the sale price to the public of the seized tickets or fractions thereof.
History —May 15, 1947, No. 465, p. 1024, added as § 5-B on June 24, 1968, No. 124, p. 286, § 5, eff. July 1, 1968.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIFTEEN - Sports and Parks (§§ 1 — 2020) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 915) › Chapter 7 - Puerto Rico Lottery (§§ 111 — 128) › § 116 - Qualifications of agents

No person who holds any position in the Federal, Commonwealth, or Municipal government shall be appointed as agent; nor shall any person be appointed as agent who owns a property with an assessed value of more than twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) for tax purposes.
History —May 15, 1947, No. 465, p. 1022, May 17, 1954, No. 32, p. 92; July 26, 1979, No. 3, p. 920, § 1; Jan. 5, 2012, No. 9, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIFTEEN - Sports and Parks (§§ 1 — 2020) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 915) › Chapter 7 - Puerto Rico Lottery (§§ 111 — 128) › § 117 - Ceiling price fixed

No agent, itinerant peddler or any person whatsoever, shall sell or offer for sale lottery tickets or fractions thereof at a price higher than that officially stipulated in said tickets or fractions of tickets. Any peace officer who catches any person selling lottery tickets or fractions thereof at a price higher than that officially stipulated in said tickets or fractions thereof, shall seize all tickets or fractions thereof in the possession of the peddler; and shall follow the proceeding stipulated in § 115b of this title.
History —May 15, 1947, No. 465, p. 1022, § 7; June 24, 1968, No. 124, p. 286, § 6, eff. July 1, 1968.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIFTEEN - Sports and Parks (§§ 1 — 2020) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 915) › Chapter 7 - Puerto Rico Lottery (§§ 111 — 128) › § 118 - Drawings, method of

Drawings shall be public and shall be made by using numbered balls and in accordance with the system or method that the Director of the Bureau of the Lottery and the Secretary of the Treasury may deem most convenient and effective for such purposes. The regulation shall clearly particularize the operation of the system chosen, which shall conform to norms of the strictest impartiality and shall be conducted in the open and at random both in the selection of prizes and in the wining tickets.
History —May 15, 1947, No. 465, p. 1022, § 8; June 24, 1968, No. 124, p. 286, § 7, eff. July 1, 1968.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIFTEEN - Sports and Parks (§§ 1 — 2020) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 915) › Chapter 7 - Puerto Rico Lottery (§§ 111 — 128) › § 119 - Board of Drawing; qualifications

Each drawing shall be inspected by a Board of Drawing which shall be composed of three (3) persons of good reputation and qualified for the discharge of their duties, who shall not be officials or employees of agencies, corporations or municipalities of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or the Government of the United States of America, and who shall be designated by the Director of the Bureau of the Lottery at least three (3) days prior to the date of the drawing. Each member of the Board of Drawing shall receive a compensation of fifty dollars ($50) per drawing. Provided, That the person appointed as Chairperson of the Board shall receive a compensation of seventy-five dollars ($75) per drawing. This expense shall be defrayed from the Lottery Fund and shall be included in the budget of the Bureau of the Lottery of Puerto Rico. Both the balls and the globes may be examined, with the permission of the Chairperson of the Board of Drawing, by the public present at the drawings.
History —May 15, 1947, No. 465, p. 1022, § 9; Mar. 27, 1950, No. 14, p. 60, § 1; Apr. 5, 1951, No. 65, p. 146, § 3; May 25, 1961, No. 15, p. 45, § 1; June 24, 1968, No. 124, p. 286, § 8; July 26, 1979, No. 3, p. 920, § 1; Mar. 20, 1990, No. 3, p. 41.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIFTEEN - Sports and Parks (§§ 1 — 2020) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 915) › Chapter 7 - Puerto Rico Lottery (§§ 111 — 128) › § 123 - Forgery of lottery tickets

The tickets of the Puerto Rico Lottery shall be considered as securities of the Government of Puerto Rico, and any person who, with the intention of defrauding another or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, falsely makes, alters, forges or counterfeits any lottery ticket of the Puerto Rico Lottery or fraction thereof, or the official list of prizes that the Secretary of the Treasury prints and circulates, or circulates, publishes, passes or attempts to pass as true and genuine any ticket of the Puerto Rico Lottery or fraction thereof, or the official list of prizes, knowing the same to be false, altered, forged or counterfeited, shall be guilty of forgery, as prescribed in §§ 4846 and 4852 of Title 33, and upon conviction thereof shall be punished by the penalty prescribed for said offense.
History —May 15, 1947, No. 465, p. 1022, § 13; June 6, 1963, No. 46, p. 70, § 2; July 26, 1979, No. 3, p. 920, § 1; Sept. 15, 2004, No. 321, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIFTEEN - Sports and Parks (§§ 1 — 2020) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 915) › Chapter 7 - Puerto Rico Lottery (§§ 111 — 128) › § 123a - Evidence of intent to defraud

For a person to possess, circulate, publish, pass or attempt to pass as true and genuine, any ticket of the Puerto Rico Lottery or fraction thereof, or official list of winning numbers thereof, shall constitute prima facie evidence of his intent to defraud another, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
History —May 15, 1947, No. 465, p. 1022, added as § 13-A on June 6, 1963, No. 46, p. 70, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIFTEEN - Sports and Parks (§§ 1 — 2020) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 915) › Chapter 7 - Puerto Rico Lottery (§§ 111 — 128) › § 124 - Illegal lotteries

The establishment, maintenance, and exploitation of lotteries in Puerto Rico, except in the manner provided in §§ 111—127e of this title, is prohibited in Puerto Rico. Any person who invents, prepares, establishes or plays any illegal lottery in violation of the provisions of §§ 111—127e of this title, or who sells, assigns, or otherwise supplies or transfers to another or a third party, any ticket, chance, share or interest, or any paper, certificate or instrument presumed or understood to be or to represent any ticket, chance or share or interest in any lottery in violation of the provisions of §§ 111—127e of this title or which depends on the result thereof shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.
Raffles, draws, and bingos held by aspirants, candidates, elected officials, political parties, their respective committees, and other political party committees for the purpose of supplementing their political campaign funding, in accordance with the terms of §§ 111—127e of this title and of any orders, resolutions, or guidelines issued hereunder, are hereby excluded.
History —May 15, 1947, No. 465, p. 1022, § 14; Sept. 15, 2004, No. 321, § 2; Aug. 9, 2016, No. 166, § 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIFTEEN - Sports and Parks (§§ 1 — 2020) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 915) › Chapter 7 - Puerto Rico Lottery (§§ 111 — 128) › § 125 - Tax exemption for prizes

The prizes of the Puerto Rico Lottery shall be exempt from all taxes.
History —May 15, 1947, No. 465, p. 1022, § 15.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIFTEEN - Sports and Parks (§§ 1 — 2020) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 915) › Chapter 7 - Puerto Rico Lottery (§§ 111 — 128) › § 126 - Rules and regulations

The Secretary of the Treasury of Puerto Rico is hereby authorized to make, with the approval of the Governor of Puerto Rico, such rules and regulations as may be necessary for the enforcement of the provisions of §§ 111—127e of this title, and said rules and regulations, after their promulgation in the manner determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, shall have the force and effect of law; Provided, however, That until such time as said rules and regulations are promulgated, there shall be applied, insofar as not in conflict herewith, the rules and regulations approved by the Executive Council for the operation of the Puerto Rico Lottery now in force.
History —May 15, 1947, No. 465, p. 1022, § 16.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIFTEEN - Sports and Parks (§§ 1 — 2020) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 915) › Chapter 7 - Puerto Rico Lottery (§§ 111 — 128) › § 127 - Penalties

Any person who violates the provisions of §§ 111—127e of this title, or of regulations promulgated for the enforcement thereof, shall incur a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be punished by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars ($100) nor more than five hundred dollars ($500) or by imprisonment in jail for a term of not more than sixty (60) days, or both penalties in the discretion of the court.
Recidivists shall be punished by imprisonment in jail for a term of not less than four (4) months nor more than six (6) months, in the discretion of the court.
This section shall not apply to the provisions in § 123 of this title.
History —May 15, 1947, No. 465, p. 1022, § 19; June 13, 1966, No. 26, p. 147; July 26, 1979, No. 3, p. 920, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE FIFTEEN - Sports and Parks (§§ 1 — 2020) › Subtitle 1 - Generally (§§ 1 — 915) › Chapter 7 - Puerto Rico Lottery (§§ 111 — 128) › § 127a - Assisting in establishing a lottery

Any person who assists, whether by printing, writing, announcing, publishing or otherwise, to establish, direct or play a lottery, or to sell or place any ticket, chance or share thereof shall incur a misdemeanor.
History —May 15, 1947, No. 465, p. 1022, added as § 20 on Sept. 15, 2004, No. 321, § 3.