Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1939 )

OFFiCE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OF TEXAS
AUSTIN
February 2?.,1939
lion.vi. 3. Earcon
couniy.5ttorno~ .
.
&irCS CO~URty
. .
hnderson, TSXRP
i
Dar sir: . .
. ..
Opinion no. O-366 -_ .
Be: 14 the gml0 knwm iia 'Bingo" a
ololal.loXi of the Feel Zcde?..
Your rsqudst foF 'an opinion on the ,obo*e
stat85 qucrstlon hss bsog~ro&qd:by *hIa offios.
IT? tish to l&s& ybu,for.& very sblv ;?r14s
SUbwitted i::l\hYOUr iaqoiri, ths,tsCl4%4iir~ of gmat
saas.eca?lcein pccs~thg’uponyt3v qtrsstion.
, *. , \
33 qCi+'f'*om'~our brief aa follow6:
. :
Tje d'ssor1pii~n'*0r tbs iguas of alp.0 1s
sa follOwi:‘=
*tThb.~ks~cper ofA.h
=--.I;,game provides oarda
oki-i@loh sip+ nu$iberp in ~0~6. Thsrs srs
flve'nwbera'in ciGoh.&w borlrsbtallr an3
verti&my. hiis number Of player6 oan $ay
rupcith4*~6ymeat ot a starpa 0: 10 onnts a
\ .g6Rce...Ths'~Jrsspersslsote st rsndom 4 player
..
who -itches bal? late a.box aad whntever
. ;.- nrmbih;rIA+ b %11 stop6 on;th& numbsz ?s
~0alLcd i3y tlie ti.ssper snd the ~lfiysr who66
0n.A trira.thr 6635 number eover5 the nwibsr
vdkh eoae @b&sot, suob.ee a bean, buttcn 91'
,yrsl.tM oorn, which is prOQiba*~ by t:,c kesp-
er. 'i'hemethti of nuuibsr selectlon.azI oall-
in&+,ccw:.tnus6 wt.11 a plapar 007ess 03 en-
tire rc.. of nuAer6, Wh6thsT the raw ti6
:~orisontel, oertionl or diagonal. The ple'ltr
tnouts "Kcini30*dn6. the g't:neents.. 5% wtnzina
player is &ven ii tl0lce.t or etub whloh is
redeemable either In m~rohandi66 or monensy.
I --
The 4ceJ!cr ~ct*~mities the amber Of point6
theI, ewe word :n sodt igloe. Ii the keeper
ounouimea a %undmd point* gaac, the oasi.
.ptize thn wlmer reouives ia ten dailars;
ir R Vlfty ?ointm eam3. t!m award is rive.
dollar6 end nogn. The nlraost unlPsrS61 ,. *
praetlos ~093~ rifinlnr,~pleger4 Is to M-
d6ex-l;;-.sirtickets in motlc~ whioh t:bs pl6y-
er cbtaS3s by tcnileriaa his tiokirt to tho
eSsliMtor or kccpcr of the gmn. .?Bsts,
o~unilt~roor tables annB bulUlog aro fur-
niahe6 by the eshlbitor.'*
wtlolco 019, 820 on3 t%., ?sml F,o.:e,read
as ~all.IOICs:
"Art. 619. If any p4rso.u s&Al dlrsot-
ly, or &a sqmt or 4m~loyo for another, or
t.broui!h say n**
* .. ..Ang iwarn& table, bcnk, rrherf, or
34~144 of any mm4 or dssorlption rrheterer,
. . .-of any kind shataoevar, re~ardleub of tht
.*. nme ox wbvther newd or notl....Y
4
$. . ahftroin Arttolo 621, Penal Codu, supra,.aomo
& , ocmas al-6 spcitfo~ly set forth in the etottrt0, th0
;?. gwao oi Xtno is asentloned, vs think that tbe germ o:
a:., Viwc" 1s R *?lght wklifioa~lcn cr variatIa:7 o? t!bs
$' ~'9.. r.t &IO, t?lQ t'V< @qQ3 \4fZlp.-'fZ=!Z@t3k?~ dkkfi in
tb3t nn3 nndwr or perrrorss oa?1 pi&by; the oerds used in
L
C-C eaoh aem are &Ike; the Bethod cf +inn%be; 5s L?w ~am4f
-: aumbem em selaoted by ohanoe; anfifhe t4uwr is .qivctn
; .3n award or yiz~. :-
?-.
f' The leedin nleosnti~of $1 gaming tsble
P or bank ares (11 It is a game* .!Z) it baa a
.y
, keeper, dealer Or exhibitor; 15, it is taeed
OR tha pxlno5.pol of-Qpe s@inSt the IAWJ;
(4) %!I4 keOe0pw, bebier Or exhIbitOr wlcrztp.B4
e~clmt the b9tfor8, dfmttly cr iad%r04tlg.
. . ...'&a eapre.ae test of a pcdrcg tsb$e or
betwcik L3 tbo one rprtnet m~ny.~ Tax. JUT.;.
. :_ Sol. 20, p..646,647. Citlw Stutarnee -8%.
.. State, 31 TQ~. 892; Rlrcl v3. 8tete, 148 85
738; Hayo VS. State, 82 LRi 616, Chrietcpber
_. PO. ntats, 63 2% 662, aud others.
i
*Ths o?mraoterJatio yr3noSyle or ale-
arent cf the gmlng tablas or hanks spealfied
ia tha 0068.6s fara,.aonte, eta., is tbbt
they have a kerqer, dealer m erhibltor and
opsratm on the baeeia of one n:faiaat t?m.
many; tha dealer, keeper or Bxhlbitor e*a*nst
v2.e bebtsra, 6Sr~otly or indireotly.
9s sows of tbtm thi& prlnolple is cabvlnus.
Gbe keeper betting directly qeiuet each and
all the batters, and t&y cq?c.nat h&r *a in
30-0, blrgt-un, &a. xn others it 15 abpd50a
acd tH6 better8 aaes( to be oontendlag acriipst oae.
asotiier. Suah Is the ease in pool and !ceuo.
She keeper oharges an6 takes a ger oimtnp,e upon
all the beta that are made, eild 1s tbelefore
intsraatea in atinulatinq s&d 2rotrootin:r the
b=dA&~. The sort3 18 bet, t!w mm8 he +ikee.
krd if ttw name oontlnues long enough, fit tili
hare 011 the ffioneysnil the betters hove .GOWi
l3mi it la rhst the ttiue 3rinolple of tlla @me
.I ia un7eiled -- OD? aanlnet the may. *int 80
With bil~ifllh Fl?Optlr. The players rent *be
tobJa for the c;inieoaanpieb In playiw 0 cam;
,end the imepar hae no eqwl inttarest,.w>?the,r
tht3y play for th0URsna8 or for 4wmv3reont. In
soon 9f Lh.5 ~fliiwt3 this &treat find in6jrect %3-
velqmmt of the prinoip'la of eta *g*lnat the
many ie oo~binea. The keeper my hero $3 fUQa
of i:is 9~3 urhibltea, oalled a bank; VllcLchis
usually ,oone~,'buIt;msy be snything.valueble;
801 which Is his condltIone1 tender to all the
* betters, as-i% faro,&o., or bo may oulleet au6
"IC 2 yir?.y dlc;:~Jtl a8..*tljs~* *.aItiN
s tnblP fop (isqiixic.
i)r:.:pp. i)ljT;WaeS %ncr u*:r;
ii. CT, hiz.4clTr wlthwt Sett!:iri qxn it S-r-
fzulf, bait to Onablr other5 to bet, arid
u:m:Ld, lnn*ea? or nbarjzio$ h peru*nt9ts
u?on tba bets, dqmd upon the custoc of
t.hu bettoss at ‘Ais thw t0 oodtp8nSatb hhl, *
the 9vil maid be ao J&W. ‘oouause ?.o per-
haps zmde 19~5. 20 .tlinhtBVCii not ba pro-
ssnt 311 the tim duri~ th:+ plap1&*, Ln
sme mob aas8 that mipht ba deviaed. 1:9ra,
olthcu*, acuordiny l.0 the rulrs Of hut,';
gaueo, he could not atriotly be said to b-9
the keeper or stilbitor, at113 the ``!~unity
would not Do clsled i-p suab a than@ irr tto
-rnese mode of U9riviri his rgalna, anii :t
WOUlAI bQ SPiis, 'in aumon Ssrigua~9’, that
*he k9vt. or exh%bitad tha t.abls.n
The afl50R, Shaw vs. f%ste, 33 S 1078, EQll
7s. *tato, :'2 * 667, kvarlmrt vs. tita'be,ie Z3W 426
ant Lyl* v*. State, 10 S.W. 765, hold in effscrt that it
is difflsult to Imagine 5 epeoles oi a tsble cr bank or .
crar~lrig ilevloe reeemblin& eithsr that ia:kept <@I: em&&
that, woul& not br irrclud9d in the ~lauaes o;' the 00&e.
: In view of the toregolnu authorities, yob am
respuotrully'aflviaed that it 1s the oplnlon thUWI0- or
parkoent that the dam9 of *%n~o ooues within tine j$rO-
hlblticti of ?.ha ab&s quotsd statutes o_C %?&a j%tal Cods.
ana that any person who operates a wRlggo' ~cu?Ln~ table
or bank 13 ~subjeot to proseoutian under ?\rtiule 619 of
tbe '=snal Cods.
ir
:: .
Truetin.q that the foregoing answsfs your in-
i:.ipuiry, we reaa3.n
Very truly yours