Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion

The Attorney General of Texas
IIM MATlOX
December 31, 1985
ittomry General
Ilonorablc Benjamin Curesti, Jr. opinion lo. m-412
Cameron County Attorney
9lb E. Barrieon Street * RC: V h e tb er l "camin nite'
Bromsv~lle, texaa 78520 rpooaored by l school dletrlct
would violate tbc Penal Code
prohibItlone against gambling
714 Ju~sO% Suila 700 Daar Mr. Eurceti:
Dnllu. TX 7929249m
2lu742d944
Tov ask vbat’hsr a ‘camho ulte” epooeorad by a school dletrlet
vould violate the Taxer Panel Code prohibitioae l~a inet gambling. The
“ceelno nita" d+e,::ribed in your letter vi11 be pert of l sradrution
function in vhlch aacb studant vfll be given a met 6mount of play
money to uee at qxrlourtablae vharc cards or other games of chance
are to be played. At l preset time, the gamer vill cloea and the play
1001 Trrnh SUN* IQ)
money vi11 be ueal l itbar to bid In an auction for donated prizer or
140urlon. TX. 77002.3111 to eater lotteries for donated prize*. lo charge vlll be made to any
7132239d99 student, aa an rdmirrlon fee or othervine, for taklag part in the
“casino nite.'
W5 8robdwny. Suit* 312
Baeed .011 these factr, you lnk saver&l qucctione 6bout rpecific
Luoeock, m 794015179
9ou747.9239
prwlefoor of tbe feue Penal Code regardins gerbllog. All of your
queetione, bovevm, relate either to the elawnte of or to the
defanrce to the cr:Y~minaloffmne of gambling. Tba offenee of gambling
4wa w. tmtn. sdt* s ie met fortb in lo c tio11.02 n of tbe Paoal Cede:
McAlhn, Ix 78901.1999
91-7
(a) A person comite an offense if be:
200M6lrl
?lu8.8ullrroe ('1:) ukee bet oo the perthl
a or final
kn *ntodo, TX 792052797. reexAt of a ga8e or contact or on the parfor-
91aa94191
maam of a participant in a gama or eontert;
An Equal ooporluniw W ulcer a bet on tbe remit of any
Ammalk6 Acllon Employu pol*t:Lul oomiaatioo, 6ppointment. or election
or :m tbe degree of lu c c eee of en9 nominee,
lppobmtaa. or candidate;- or
(3’) plate and beta for umey or other thin&
of
--- value at any game plqed w%tb urde, dice,
OT b6:Lle. (Emph6eie addid).
p. 1884
______---_ ---, c-- __----_, --_ --.- _ ,-.. ---,
’ ,
The tam 5et.” em used in this section, is daflned la rection
47.01 aa follove:
(1) ‘Bet’ wane an agreement thet, dependent
a8 cbenee even though lccompanlad by non6 rkill,
one stands to vh or lore l omatblng of value. . . .
[Followed by lxctptione not applicable here].
The lagal la a nlng
of %ot” involvae
not 0019 the ultimata vhnlng of
something value but
of the initial giving or agreement to give
something of value. See Odle v. State, 139 S.Y.2d 595, 591 (Tax.
Grim. App. ,19hO, no vrix’rav’d on other grouud6. 578 S.Y.Zd 411, 413
n. 1 (Tu. Grim. App. 19795; Cllie v. Stete, 189 S.U. 1076, 1075 (Tax.
Grim. App. 1916, no uric:). Pour, in Texan, three basic element6
cumprire the offenra of grmbliag: COn6id6T6tims chance. and prize.
the “cenino nita” fomat that you deecrlba in your request
In
letter, no charge vi11 btr made to any student for taking part %n the
“ceelno uite.’ In Monte Carlo Parties, Ltd. v. Webb, 322 S.E.2d 246,
248 (Ga. 1984). thee?8 Suprme Court construed a Georgia gambling
statute that is similar to tbe Texan ntatute and concluded that 6
“Cenino Right” format lo which no guest is required to pert vlth any-
thing of value to partic~peta in gamer l&eke the conrideratioa element
of tbe offenre of gambling. A Texas court applied l imilar reasoning
dth regard to a “lottery,” a nubcategory of gambling Offeo6eS under
section 67.03(s) of tha! T6X68 Penal Code, 6nd concluded that an
offense occurred, in prwt, becaura the players verc required to
purch6ee bingo cards in ‘order to p6rtleiprte. See State v. Awets
Poet Number SO, 541 S.W.:!il 481, C82 (Tax. Civ. Apr- Dblh6 1976, oo
vrit) . Consequently , $16 believe tbat the lreential element of
cweideretion in the offense of gambling is tinning from the “carino
nite” format tbat you dewribe.
A "ca&lno n!.te” fotwat in vblcb DO parson giver
or promieee to Sire anything of yalue in order to
earticioate lmke tbe llemeet of consideration
ibat is’ leeent:``l to the offmea of g6abliag under
eectiw 47.02 of tba Taxer Penal Code.
Attorney General of Texas
_-
p. 1gM
JACK IICBTWER
liret Aeeietent Attorney C~!r~eral
ItAm rntn
Executive Aeeietent Attornq General
ROBERTGRAY
Special Aeeietant Attorney General
RICK GILPIN
Cluiman, Opinion Camnittar
Prepared by Jennifer Riggs
Aeeietant Attorney General
p. 1666