Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

604 OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS AUSTIN Ron. Paul T. Rolt cost&y Attaraey ‘kari6 htl%tj irustIn, Texar mar art "'2;eCOQd meek . . . #%4.00 it%TX-ads prlu conte%t TJbdresk.... tSWOlnTr8de . . . %o.oo %a rmaa opoa- 2ZhSk . . . . 3840 ln Rrde shah lb& . . . . 1COO in Tr84e Everyone Swettth Week . . . gOf& E 2; A Cont.%t . ”. . l. 1$000~ osall3 iiis?s ‘htxthwoek.... meventk . . . . . a:00 in m40 mel.SthWeek... Va3lmblokeokly ThirteenthWeek l 2% + 2 22 Prl.%e% civeabp ( %o eo a d P O& b ) "'ortsomentojointhe61ubdul4agrwJ to pay you ~ts,ooe#h week SO? 14 week% (tow WMO) on bade that oath m geta one e3a%% AorChn#A46titr Wtarkl~ nit&the Str%treek the lu4ger selebtthe best elqgattan4 an*rd the it& reek*e prlse of #%6&O in bra40 t&the titer or the prl%rbrigaingsloga& tThereS0~ WB pert7 &@6 hbt %Uit ft%?all17$&we) "m IlWODdWtkdithe judm6 - th0 *At tho cab OS .X4 uWk% you' have (t b638tWe l&t of S7 ment rho hate ptid you the full prlee of @t3,00-ah ior Wmlr b9jt. 8~0 16 a tab& of 801le&lcn6 shcdsg how the plaa work%:- non. Paul T. Rolt, rag0 3 Each. scln Toted _ - Colleo- - Coet _ Of 6Uit t0 ssi!?E raze contest rrlnnar 1st week $100;00 2nd wok 98.00 3rd week 96.00 94.00 2 s 9&00 6th u%sk 90.00 Ithreek f3g.g 6th week . Qtl+a%k iii% gg 22. lath weak z% 7s:oo ii: is "s %Uit6 iil Ch6% A& at 8&w WtlOfe@tl&e cost You $950.00. Therefore your prom% fQur6 66 f0ihG: Total Uolleotloru co%t Of so stlltr IOOR RET PItom "Ru, big feature ot this &an i6 that'it %llmInat%a the ~lottery a%glo 4% t I6 objwtIon- able In %cme locelltiea, a%4 mkea this PrIae COate6t plan %triot&' 0li0O? eklll: TOUr p~'Ia% oonterrt entrlw 5~17 be cent in to ua end w wlll h6re our judges %ake the %w+r46, or 70% oall appoint your oun j~u4468.= Seation 47 o? artlole 3 of the Texas Constitution reai$a a6 follo*rsr -'b b$#6l%tUl'8 %ha -6% bW% QTO- hibiting the sstabltahwat of lotterioe an4 &% entarprlsea~ in this St&u, a6 w6l.l a% ths sale or tiakste in lotterfee, $Ift WIter- prima or oth%r srasicum iavolring the 1otterJr prInaIp10, tmtablfshul or eriatlng in other 6tatO%." The tsar lctttry has no tochtioal sipiriaetion in the Ian, and aI.nce our sta- tute does not provide 6 dtfInitIOn, It6 IMU- Iq must De dtternined from popular u6%p. Accordi% to that tt6t a 1OttaTy 16 % 6-e for the ilI6t~iDut~on of prize6 by lot Or chance unonff those Vho htV6 YeId Or -64 to p3y a conslderatlon for the right to part:cI';ate therein, or the OistrfbutfCm it- seY." 3s 'i'extcl ;Tuxlsprudence, pama 4094lO. *A raffle is distfaffi6hable from a lottery. Qdle, ta lo the oa6e oi a lottrrg, them I6 no at~tutorydoiInItlonof the t6lm# the Su~m~e Court ha6 defined it; and this detinitioPl ha6 botn adoptedby ths kurt OS Grr&na~~~ e;le;ugeh de?inI!Ion-I6 %J# fol- L , UO). **A game.@ p0rlPeat crhsnoo; In nbtah every participant I6 equal rlth ovtry othar, la the pmportlon 0C his risk and &W0%mt Of &A&. 'i'he prl%e 16,a acwmn f'u64,or that *hIoh 16 pumhase4 97 a ccareCa?und. E6oh 1% an equal aator In devslopIng thll ohanaor, In proportion to h16 rI%k. imetbtr the7 be developad rith 4106, or 6~~0 otb6r iaatr~entl,la~,nOt maf*rIal. me auoceesfu part7 take6 the whole prlte, end all the rest lose.** (2.9Tex. Jur., 410) Artiole 654, Panal Code of TeXa6, made a6 id-.. 1OW: *If an7 person shall establish a lottee or,dIspo%e of ang e%tate, real or personal, by lottery, he Shall De fine4 not 1866 than one hixndmd nor nom than one thoueand dollar%; or If any person6hal1 sell, offer for sale OX keep 'iOr66lt 6 tlokat or part tlokst In eny lottery, he shyY 1 be fined not leee than ten nor core than.fifty dollar6.' Hon. Paul T. Xolt, Yaga 5 Artiale 655, Penal Code of Texas, reeds as f011oas1 *If any person shall eatabllah a ?aSfle for or dlapoae by raSfle of any estate Teal or personal, exceeding Sire hundr6a aoilrrm In due, he shall bo sinod not leas than oae hundred nor Dora than arm thoueand dol- lars; or 1s say parson oball aetabl$ah a rafile for or dispose of by rsffle of anf 01). tats, ran1 or parsonal, of the value of five bun- drcd dollars or 1688, he ribs11 ba fined not leas than five dollara nor more than fro bun- dred a0i~a~ Rho6ver shall offer for aala or ksep for aals any ohano6, tlokbt or part tloket, la -anyratfla of any estate ml or peraaaal of aat value wbatevar ahall be flmd not lese than tan nor ama than fifty d01lars.~ iiaatlon 4, Letteri.8, 28 Taxaa Jurlaprudanae, pages 4le, 4W aad 414, raada aa followme *lawi and aahenoe oonatituting Lattariaa - & polntod out above a lottery, ganarall~ apaaklqg is a aohama SoI' the tiatributlon of p&a by lot or obuioo amng thoaa who have paid some ooaaidaratlon ror the right tq partloipats, In partlaular it is a gaming aahama In rbiob one or mma tickets hearlag partloular numbara draw.prlaee and the rest are blank. Rowaver, any devioe or aohema may constitute a lottery'rhara the elammta of oonalder6tion, prize and ohaaoa are praaeat. Thus a devioe or tranaaotlon rhioh la ordinarfly lawful may ba randerad unleatul.aa a lottery by tha aoautat6aaation of these oirww~tanaea. 00 listed, tha follow- ing have bean held to ba lottaria8a pymh boards; slot or vand~ maehInes;the aale of boxoe of candy some of rkioh oontaia prizea; 'auft oluba Eon. Faul 7. Zolt, ?uge 0 The case OS Waat vs. Ztate, lu! SW 106B Is In point. Appellant Grant was convicted of the oS#enee of ortiuctlng a lottery by cenductlne a Suit Club. The facts in tha Grant case are similar in tory reapeats to the facts stated In your V3xhIbIt A* quoted abow. Three elamuta are e5aential to constitute a lottery: (II A prize In money or ctber thip, of value; (2) Its dIatrIbutIon by ohanoe; aad (3) payment, either dlreotly or Ihdireotly, of a vcluable oonsiEeraticn for the ahnnca to win the +2,~I;;,y,;~k ~rlm. vs. Grlffm ?iiiiissme2ltcwyafiy,m Cl Chance at a prlse give5 Vreew with a purohaae Is not In faot Vree*, but payment for it Is eabraoed In a part of the purchase price. City OS Kink vs. Orlfflth Anmoment Co., aupra; The-Qmk Xight" scbemb, or Wlsk we. CrISfIth .@tuaamant Conpeny, 100 SW 69s. ~7011, the wEuok RIeht" aoheam {Robh 6 Rowley, et. al is. state l.27 6R 2nd 22l land *Hoah*s Ark" soheme (%Ith vs. &ate, 129 SE 2nd 297) have all been held tc be lotteries, Opinlan No. O-U00 or this Department holds thet wAOe5 Quiz liIghl" aoheme or plfin (Under the facts aubmIttedl Is a lottezy. Opinion Ro. 011329 of this Zepartnent holds that TYwerprint night" aoheme or rlau (under the raota sub&tit&d) Is a lottery. Ke enoloae horeuIth ooples OS apInIons Ran. O-1200 and O-1529 OS this Department. Under the authorities above aIteE and under the autborItIe6 alted In opIniou5 Roa, 011200 and O-1329 Of tbIo lhpartwmt, you are respaatfullp advised thnt It la the optafoa ot this ~epartasant that a WWt Club" oouduotad end operated as aeaarlbea in "ExMbIt A* above, Ie a lion. sk~i T, Eolt, pa&e 7 lottery and in tiolatiOu of km. mmtbg tht .thfs satloraotly answ-8 yoour Iuqulry and with beet rw&ards, we are ATTORNEY GENERAL Ol?TEXAS