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
Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion
Combined Opinion