What's happening
This bill requires all bell jar tickets sold in New York State to have a state-approved legend, with certain ticket types excluded.
Why it matters
Increases oversight and traceability. By requiring a state-approved legend on most bell jar tickets, the bill aims to make it easier for authorities to track the origin and legitimacy of tickets, potentially reducing fraud and illegal gambling activities.
Creates clearer compliance standards for manufacturers and distributors. The new rules spell out exactly which types of tickets require the legend and which are exempt, giving clear guidance to businesses and reducing ambiguity in enforcement.
Stiffens penalties for violations. The bill changes the standard for penalizing offenses from "willfully" to "intentionally," potentially lowering the threshold for enforcement and making it easier to punish non-compliance, including license suspensions and felony charges for repeat offenders.
May impact the availability and cost of tickets. By imposing additional regulatory requirements, the bill could increase production costs for compliant tickets, possibly affecting prices or the supply chain for charitable organizations that rely on these games for fundraising.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Label Bell Jar Tickets NY
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Substituted by A4623
- Ordered to third reading cal.1188
- Committee discharged and committed to rules
- Reported and committed to finance
- Referred to racing, gaming and wagering
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Label Bell Jar Tickets
Vetoed · Sponsor J. Gary Pretlow
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
4587
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
March 15, 2019
Introduced by Sen. SANDERS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Racing, Gaming and Wagering
AN ACT to amend the general municipal law, in relation to requiring a New York state legend on all bell jar tickets sold in New York state
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 195-n of the general municipal law, as amended by chapter 637 of the laws of 1999, is amended to read as follows:
1. Distribution; manufacturers. For business conducted in this state, manufacturers licensed by the board to sell bell jar tickets shall sell only such tickets to distributors licensed by the board, and shall only sell such tickets that have been approved by the board and are imprinted with an approved legend prescribed by the board in a manner prescribed by the board. Bell jar tickets that are banded single-sided singletabbed, double-sided single-tabbed or folded bell jar tickets are excluded from the approved legend requirement. Manufacturers of bell jar tickets, seal cards, merchandise boards, and coin boards may submit samples, artists' renderings, or color photocopies of proposed bell jar tickets, seal cards, merchandise boards, coin boards, payout cards, and flares for review and approval by the board. Within thirty days of receipt of such sample or rendering, the board shall approve or deny such bell jar tickets. Following approval of a rendering of a bell jar ticket, seal card, merchandise board, or coin board by the board, the manufacturer shall submit to the board a sample of the printed bell jar ticket, seal card, merchandise board, coin board, payout card, and flare for such game. Such sample shall be submitted prior to the sale of the game to any licensed distributor for resale in this state. For coin boards and merchandise boards, nothing herein shall require the submittal of actual coins or merchandise as part of the approval process. Any
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD08611-01-9
S. 4587 2
licensed manufacturer who [willfully] intentionally violates the provisions of this section shall: (a) upon such first offense, have their license suspended for a period of thirty days; (b) upon such second offense, participate in a hearing to be conducted by the board, and surrender their license for such period as recommended by the board; and (c) upon such third or subsequent offense, have their license suspended for a period of one year and shall be guilty of a class E felony. Any unlicensed manufacturer who violates the provisions of this section shall be guilty of a class E felony.
§ 2. Subdivision 1 of section 195-o of the general municipal law, as amended by chapter 637 of the laws of 1999, is amended to read as follows:
1. Distribution; distributors. Any distributor licensed in accordance with section one hundred eighty-nine-a of this article to distribute bell jar tickets shall purchase bell jar tickets only from licensed manufacturers and may manufacture coin boards and merchandise boards only as authorized in subdivision one-a of this section. Licensed distributors who purchase bell jar tickets for resale in New York state shall only purchase and resell bell jar tickets imprinted with an approved legend prescribed by the board in a manner prescribed by the board, or bell jar tickets that have been approved by the board that are banded single-sided single-tabbed, double-sided single-tabbed or folded bell jar tickets. Licensed distributors of bell jar tickets shall sell such tickets only to not-for-profit, charitable or religious organizations registered by the board. Any licensed distributor who [willfully] intentionally violates the provisions of this section shall: (a) upon such first offense, have their license suspended for a period of thirty days; (b) upon such second offense, participate in a hearing to be conducted by the board, and surrender their license for such period as recommended by the board; and (c) upon such third or subsequent offense, have their license suspended for a period of one year and shall be guilty of a class E felony. Any unlicensed distributor who violates this section shall be guilty of a class E felony.
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeeding the year in which it shall have become a law. Effective immediately the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such date.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the general municipal law, in relation to requiring a New York state legend on all bell jar tickets sold in New York state
Purpose of the bill
To amend § 195-n and § 195-0 of the General Municipal Law to require that bell jar tickets sold in New York State contain an imprint of a legend approved by the New York State Racing and Wagering Board (the "Board").
Summary of provisions
Amends General Municipal Law § 195-n to require that licensed manufac- turers of bell jar tickets imprint an approved New York State legend on all bell jar tickets sold in New York State. Amends § 195-o of the General Municipal Law to require that licensed distributors who purchase bell jar tickets for resale in New York purchase and resell only tickets with the approved New York State legend. An exception is created for bell jar tickets that are banded single-sided single-tabbed, double-sid- ed single-tabbed or folded bell jar tickets.
Read the full memo (685 words)
Existing law
There is no statutory requirement for a New York State symbol or legend on bell jar tickets.
Prior legislative history
This bill (with different text) was introduced in 2003 as S.3797 and referred to Racing, Gaming and Wagering. 2010 - A2495 - referred to racing and wagering
Statement in support
A New York State legend would relieve administrative burdens on volun- teer organizations who conduct games of chance, licensed bell jar ticket distributors and local governments who license games of chance. All bell jar tickets sold in New York State must be approved by the New York State Racing and Wagering Board prior to sale in New York State to ensure that the game complies with games of chance statutes and the rules and regulations of the Board. There are literally thousands of different types of bell jar games that have been approved over the last fifteen years, and hundreds more that are submitted every year to the Board. In many cases, there are bell jar games that are very similar in name and appearance to an approved game when, in fact, the game has not been approved. Licensed authorized organizations may only sell bell jar tickets that have been approved by the Board. It is often difficult for such organizations, which are comprised of volunteers, to keep track of the thousands of approved bell jar tickets and discern between an approved bell jar game and an unapproved one. By requiring an approved New York State legend on approved bell jar tickets, organizations and New York State distributors could simply look at a ticket to determine if it has been approved for sale in New York, thereby reducing their respective paperwork load and erroneous purchases of unapproved tickets. Furthermore, an approval legend would be a valuable tool for law enforcement, local municipal inspectors and licensing officials who regulate games of chance. The presence of the legend would facilitate the tracking of tickets and the absence of the legend would be evidence that the ticket is unlawful for sale. Several states have adopted the requirement of a state logo or approval statement. An exception to the requirement is created for bell jar tickets that are banded single-sided single-tabbed, double-sided single-tabbed or folded because their size makes the requirement impracticable. This exception is consistent with Board Rule (9 N.Y.C.R.R.) 5608.3(e), which excludes such tickets from certain construction standards applicable to other bell jar tickets.
The Board would prescribe a unique seal, such as a letters "NYSRWB" configured in a unique shape or the geographic shape of New York State.
Prior legislative history
05/03/16 A9994 referred to racing and wagering 05/11/16 A9994 reported referred to codes A4402 04/23/18 passed assembly A4402 04/23/18 delivered to senate A4402 04/23/18 REFERRED TO RACING, GAMING AND WAGERING
Budget implications
None.
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeeding the year in which it shall have become a law, provided, however, that any rules and regulations necessary for the timely implementation of this act shall be promulgated on or before such effective date.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.