The Attorney General of Texas
October22, 1985
JIM MATTOX
Attorney Getma
supmmecowl suihiing HonorableOscar Hauey OpiuiouR0.~'&368
P. 0. Box 12949 chsirmeu
Atmtln.TX. 797ll- 2548 Committeeon Jurisprudence Re: Whether a ticket-vending
51214752991 Texas State Senate computer terminal which merely
Telex Slow74.1297
1-r 512/4750289
P. 0. Box 12068 dispenaes.ticketsis a "gambling
Amstin.Texas 78711 device"'under chapter 47 of the
Penal Code, and relatedquestions
D& SAator ibusy:
4924Albmte Ave. Stdtb10 Pea ask whethw the PAT-2000,a tickat-veading computerterminal
ElP4SO.T% - is a "gadlius dev!r:e" uader sections47.01(3)and 47.06 of.the Texas
91615939484 Peuslrcode. Pou.also ask whether subsections.(a):.&.(b) of 47.06,
whickSet forth'thr!elementsof~the'crimeof possession-ofa "gsmbliug
device,"are unccau~titutionallyvague.
;.i;(' '.
Sectlon'47.06provides,in part:
.
y. ~'(a):
1~' persou cumlts au offen.se'~~.if he
: ! kuowiugl~r
~.owus, mauufactures;~ttaasfers;~ or
poasesseu any gambling de+ice that he .knWs is
designed for gambl&ng purposes or snp'equip&at
that.~
he knows is designed as a subassemblyor
Uoo N. Tenlh, Sulto S esseatia:t
part of a gamblingdevice.
MeAllenn.
lx. 7s5o1-1(185
51-7
(b) A person comlts an offense if. with the
intent 1.0 further gsmbling, he knowingly.owns,
2ooMalnPleza,sune400 marmfaCtw:es.transferscoumerc%all~,or p?asesses
San Anlonlo, lx 7aw-2797 any altered gambling equipment 'that'
he knows is
612@29.4191
designed for gambling purposes ore any equipment
that he knows is daslgaed as a subassemblyor
eseeutislpart of such device.
Section47.01(9)provides:
'GembLLngdevice'means,any mechanicalctitri-
Vance that for a considerationaffords the player
an opportunityto obtain~aaytbingof value. %he
award OF which is determined by chance, even
though r.ccompaniedby some skill. whether or not
the prim is' automaticallypaid 'by the ~'con-
trivance.
p. 1689
Howrable Oscar Mausy - Page 2 (~'~-368)
Application of these provfsioua depeuds upon the physical
characteristicsof the prtuticularobject or device ia question.
See Attorney General Opiafaas MI-168 (1980); E-1153 (1978); H-940
v77). SyatechPAT-2000computertennlualsare kucwu as "transaction
processing equipment." Tt.e technical informationsubmitted to us
shows that they recordtransactionInformationand distributetickets.
The PAT-2000is capableof dispeusinga wide range of products,such
as airline tickets,euterta:iumeuttickets, and money orders. It is
similarin functionto the automaticteller machineswhich are mu in
use across the state. Neu,ertheless,many of the PAT-2000 termiuals
which are.presently produced in Texas are manufacturedto produce
ticketswhich are used in the New York State Lottery. Because the
PAT-2000terminalcontainsuo data base for lotterytickets,however,
the ticketscsnnot actuallybe dispenseduntil it is connectedto the
main computerin New York.
The statutory defiultiw of "gambling device" requires, among
other things,proof that the award of a th%ug of value by the device
be "determinedby chance, even though accompaniedby some skill."
Peual Code 147.01(3);AttorneyGeneral Opiufous~~-168 (1980);E-1153,
(1978). Thus. even if ths PAT-2000 wasdesigned specificallyfor a
purpose, such as a lottery,,which would copstltuteau offense iu
Texae. the offensesdescribedin subsectious(a) aud (b) of sectlou
47.06 requireproof that the machlue in questionis itselfa "gambling
dcvicee or subassemblyof a "gamblingdevice" withiu the mesuiag of
eection47*01(3). -See Attomey GeneralOpinionMW-168 (1980).
The foregoingdescrlptioaof the PAT-2000 demoustratesthat its
sole fuactloais to dispenee~tickats.Ooze the temfual is connected
with the rain computer.fu New York,~.the tickets dispensedby the
PAT-2000 will have state lottery numbers ou them. The element of
chauce,however, is added :lnau eatlrely separateprocessand is uot
au asseutlalelement-ofthe product at issue. The elementof chance
occurs %u the lotteig drtariag.not in the transfer of a lottery
ticket. Althoughthe ac=i :saleorepossessionof lotteryticketsin
Texas is au offeuse. see Paaal Code 4547.03(a)(S),47.07(a).we deal
here cmly tith the Gov question of whether the PAT-2000‘is a
"gsmblbg device"per se.
Cousequeutly.based 01,.theinformationabout the PAT-2000 sub-
mitted in couuectiouwith :rouropinion request,we concludethat the
.esseatialelement of chaacc:is not present in the PAT-2000termfual.
We uote that'althoughthe elameutof chancemay be temporarilyremoved
by "disabliug"a device, this will uot prevent it from being a
"gamblingdevice." See Attmney General Opinion E-940 (1977). This
is not, however, re&t to the case at hand because the PAT-2000
containsPO elementof chance aud~needuot be "disabled."
We do.uotbelieve that ,thelegislatureintendedto includewithin
"gaubliug device," a termlaal which IS capable only of dispensing
tickets. The legislatureyintended section47.01(3)to reach devices
p. 1690
..
DouorableOscar Mausy - Page 3 (JM-368)
such as slot pachiuesaud roulettevheels. See PracticeComeutary to
section47.01 (suggest* that a "sachauical~ontrivauce" may also be
requiredby the deff.nitf.on),
In light of this couclusion,
ve do not reach your secondquestion
of whether the void-for-vzgueness doctrine prevents applicationof
section 47.01(3) aud subsec:tious
(a) and (b) of section47.06 to the
PAY-2000terminal.
SUMMARY
A "gambling device," as defined in section
47.01(3) in coujrmctlonwith subsections(a) aud
(b) of section 4,7.06~, does not apply to the
Syntech PAY-ZOOO,, a ticket-vending
terminaluhlch awrely dispensestickets.TFz
device lacks the eleawxtt
of chance essentialto a
"gamblingdevice"uuder section47.01(3).
JIM WATTOX
Attorney General of Texas
TCMGNNEN
First AssistantAttorney General
DAVID B. XICDAXDS
ExecutiveAssistantAttonwy General
RCBXXYCSAY
SpecialAssistantAttomey General
RICX GILPIN
Chairman,OpinionCosdttec:
Preparedby Jenniferluggs
Assistant AttorneyGeneral
APPROVED:
OP7.DIONCOMMITl'gE
Rick Gilpin.Chairman
Coliu Carl
Susan Garrison
Tony Guillory
Jim Moelliuger
JenniferXiggs
Nancy Sutton
Sareh Woelk
p. 1691
Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion
Combined Opinion