Conn. Gen. Stat. § 7-169

Current with legislation from the 2024 Regular and Special Sessions.

Section 7-169 - Bingo

(a)Definitions. For the purposes of this section and section 7-169a, "bingo game" means a game in which each player receives a card containing several rows of numbers and, as numbers are drawn or otherwise obtained by chance and publicly announced, the player first having a specified number of announced numbers appearing on the player's card in a continuous straight line or covering a previously designated arrangement of numbers on such card is declared the winner; "person" or "applicant" means the officer or representative of the sponsoring organization or the organization itself; "session" means a series of games played in one day; and "municipal official" means the chief of police of the municipality, or if there is no police department, the chief executive officer of the municipality, where the bingo game is to be conducted or is conducted.

(b)Vote of municipality. Upon a written petition of five per cent or more of the electors of any municipality requesting the selectmen, common council or other governing body of such municipality to vote upon the question of permitting the playing of bingo within such municipality, such governing body shall vote upon such question and, if the vote is in the affirmative, it shall be permitted, subject to the restrictions herein set forth, and if the vote is in the negative, bingo games shall not be permitted to be played in such municipality. When the selectmen, common council or other governing body of any municipality have voted favorably upon the question of permitting the playing of bingo games within such municipality, the playing of bingo games shall be permitted in such municipality indefinitely thereafter, without further petition or action by such governing body, unless such governing body has forbidden the playing of bingo games upon a similar written petition of five per cent or more of the electors of such municipality, whereupon bingo games shall not be permitted to be played after such negative vote.

(c)Sponsorship. No bingo game or series of bingo games shall be promoted, operated or played unless the same is sponsored and conducted exclusively by a charitable, civic, educational, fraternal, veterans' or religious organization, volunteer fire department or grange. Any such organization or group shall have been organized for not less than two years prior to its application for a bingo permit under the terms of this section. The promotion and operation of a bingo game or bingo games shall be confined solely to the qualified members of the sponsoring organization, except that the municipal official may permit any qualified member of a sponsoring organization who has registered with the municipal official, on a form prepared by the municipal official for such purpose, to assist in the operation of a bingo game sponsored by another organization. The municipal official may revoke such registration for cause.

(d)Application for permit. Any eligible organization desiring to operate bingo games in any municipality in which the governing body has voted to permit the playing thereof shall apply to the municipal official, which application shall contain a statement of the name and address of the applicant, the location of the place at which the bingo games are to be played and the seating capacity of such place, the date or dates for which a permit is sought, the class of permit sought and any other information which the municipal official reasonably requires for the protection of the public, and, upon payment of the fee provided for in this section, the municipal official is authorized to issue such permit, provided such eligible organization has been registered as provided in section 7-169a.

(e)Bingo permits. Permits shall be known as "Class A" which shall be annual one-day-per-week permits and shall permit the conduct of not more than forty and not less than fifteen bingo games on such day, "Class B" which shall permit not more than forty and not less than fifteen bingo games per day for a maximum of ten successive days, and "Class C" which shall be annual one-day-per-month permits and shall permit the conduct of not more than forty and not less than fifteen bingo games on such day. "Class A" permits shall allow the playing of bingo games no more than one day per week. Not more than two "Class B" permits shall be issued to any one organization within any twelve-month period. "Class C" permits shall allow the playing of bingo games no more than one day per month.

(f)Permit fees. The municipal official may set fees as follows: "Class A", not to exceed seventy-five dollars; "Class B", not to exceed ten dollars per day; and "Class C", not to exceed fifty dollars.

(g)Records of receipts and disbursements. Each person who operates bingo games shall keep accurate records of receipts and disbursements, which shall be available for inspection by the municipal official.

(h)Prizes. Prizes offered for the winning of bingo games may consist of cash, merchandise, tickets for any lottery conducted under chapter 226, the value of which shall be the purchase price printed on such tickets, or other personal property. No permittee may offer a prize which exceeds two hundred fifty dollars in value, except that (1) a permittee may offer a prize or prizes on any one day of not less than two hundred fifty-one dollars or more than seven hundred fifty dollars in value, provided the total value of such prizes on any one day does not exceed twenty-five hundred dollars, (2) a permittee may offer one or two winner-take-all bingo games or series of bingo games played on any day on which the permittee is allowed to conduct bingo games, provided ninety per cent of all receipts from the sale of bingo cards for such winner-take-all bingo game or series of bingo games shall be awarded as prizes for such bingo games or series of bingo games and provided each prize awarded does not exceed one thousand dollars in value, (3) the holder of a Class A permit may offer two additional prizes on a weekly basis not to exceed five hundred dollars each as a special grand prize and in the event such a special grand prize is not won, the money reserved for such prize shall be added to the money reserved for the next week's special grand prize, provided no such special grand prize may accumulate for more than sixteen weeks or exceed a total of five thousand dollars, and (4) a permittee may award door prizes the aggregate value of which shall not exceed five hundred dollars in value. When more than one player wins on the call of the same number, the designated prize shall be divided equally to the next nearest dollar. If a permittee elects, no winner may receive a prize which amounts to less than ten per cent of the announced prize and in such case the total of such multiple prizes may exceed the statutory limit of such bingo game.

(i)Imposition of regulation fee. Any organization that operates or conducts a bingo game pursuant to this section shall file a return with the municipal official, on a form prepared by the municipal official, within ten days after such bingo game is held or within such further time as the municipal official may allow, and pay to the municipality in which the bingo game was conducted a fee of five per cent of the gross receipts, less the prizes awarded, including prizes reserved for special grand prize games, derived from such bingo games at each bingo session. All such returns shall be public records.

(j)Suspension or revocation of permit. Cease and desist order. Notice. Hearing. Appeals. Penalty.

(1) Whenever it appears to the municipal official after an investigation that any person is violating or is about to violate any provision of this section or section 7-169a or has made any false statement in any application for a permit or in any report required by this section, the municipal official may, in his or her discretion, to protect the public welfare, order that any permit issued pursuant to this section be immediately suspended or revoked and that the person cease and desist from the actions constituting such violation or which would constitute such violation. Any person aggrieved by any order of the municipal official may appeal to the superior court for the judicial district in which the municipality is located.

(2) Whenever the municipal official revokes a permit issued pursuant to this section, the municipal official shall not issue any permit to such permittee for one year after the date of such revocation.

(3) Any person who promotes or operates any bingo game for which a permit is required pursuant to this section, or who violates any other provision of this section or section 7-169a or who makes any false statement in any application for a permit or in any report required by this section or section 7-169a or by the municipal official shall be guilty of a class D misdemeanor.

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 7-169

(1949 Rev., S. 703; 1959, P.A. 104; February, 1965, P.A. 451, S. 2-6, 8; 1967, P.A. 616, S. 1, 2; P.A. 73-239, S. 1, 3; P.A. 77-439; 77-614, S. 486, 610; P.A. 80-297, S. 1, 20; P.A. 82-472, S. 11, 183; P.A. 84-142; P.A. 85-24; P.A. 86-419, S. 4, 25; P.A. 87-1, S. 3, 7; 87-44, S. 1; 87-48, S. 1, 2; 87-582, S. 1-3; P.A. 88-363, S. 1-3, 7; P.A. 89-214, S. 1, 26; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-17, S. 1, 59; P.A. 93-13; P.A. 03-178, S. 1; P.A. 04-7, S. 1; 04-256, S. 1; 04-257, S. 5; P.A. 07-144, S. 2; P.A. 11-51, S. 134, 206; 11-61, S. 90; P.A. 12-80, S. 117; P.A. 13-299, S. 51, 52; P.A. 17-231, S. 1.)

Amended by P.A. 17-0231, S. 1 of the Connecticut Acts of the 2017 Regular Session, eff. 1/1/2018.

"Class B" permit does not permit bingo games on Sunday; under Sec. 53-300, bingo is a secular business. 154 C. 583. Cited. 22 CA 229; judgment reversed, see 217 C. 612. Cited. 33 CS 169.