An Act To Allow 2 Eligible Organizations To Jointly Hold a Game of Beano or Bingo

Sec. 1. 17 MRSA §314, 2nd ¶,  as amended by PL 1997, c. 684, §1, is further amended to read:

The fee for such a license to any nonprofit organization is $12.00 for each calendar week, or portion thereof, that the amusement is to be operated, or the license may be issued for a calendar month for a fee of $36.00 or a calendar year for a fee of $400. A special per-game license may be issued to any qualified nonprofit organization for the purposes of operating a game of "beano" or "bingo" for a fee of $5.00. The special per-game license may not be issued more than 6 times to any one organization in a calendar year. All license fees must be paid to the Treasurer of State to be credited to the General Fund. A license is not assignable or transferable. Nothing contained in this section may be construed to prohibit any volunteer fire department or any agricultural fair association or bona fide nonprofit charitable, educational, political, civic, recreational, fraternal, patriotic, religious, veterans' organization or auxiliary of any of them from obtaining licenses for a period not to exceed 6 months on one application. No more than one license may be issued to any organization for any one period. No Except as provided in section 315-A, no more than one licensee may operate or conduct a game of "beano" or "bingo" on the same premises on the same date.

Sec. 2. 17 MRSA §315-A  is enacted to read:

§ 315-A.  Limited dual beano license

The Chief of the State Police may issue a limited dual beano license to 2 organizations eligible for a regular license to conduct a game of beano. A limited dual beano license permits 2 organizations to conduct beano jointly on the same date and at the same location. An organization may only conduct beano under the authority of a dual license on 2 occasions during a calendar year. The following provisions apply to licensure under this section.