EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*hb0399*
HOUSE BILL 399
C7 5lr1963
CF SB 341
By: Delegate Edelson
Introduced and read first time: January 16, 2025
Assigned to: Ways and Means
A BILL ENTITLED
AN ACT concerning 1
Baltimore City – Raffles – Organizations Affiliated With a Professional Major 2
League Baseball Team 3
FOR the purpose of authorizing certain organizations that are affiliated with a professional 4
major league baseball team that plays its home games in Baltimore City to conduct 5
certain raffles; requiring the organization to obtain a permit to conduct raffles from 6
an agency designated by the Baltimore City government; authorizing a raffle ticket 7
to be sold and received on an electronic device located within the geographical 8
boundaries of Baltimore City; and generally relating to raffles in Baltimore City. 9
BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 10
Article – Criminal Law 11
Section 13–501, 13–503, 13–505, and 13–510 12
Annotated Code of Maryland 13
(2021 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 14
BY adding to 15
Article – Criminal Law 16
Section 13–505.1 17
Annotated Code of Maryland 18
(2021 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 19
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENER AL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 20
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 21
Article – Criminal Law 22
13–501. 23
(a) In this subtitle the following words have the meanings indicated. 24
2 HOUSE BILL 399
(b) “Commissioner” means the Baltimore City Police Commissioner. 1
(C) “DESIGNATED CITY AGENC Y” MEANS AN AGENCY DESI GNATED BY THE 2
BALTIMORE CITY GOVERNMENT . 3
(D) (1) “ELECTRONIC DEVICE ” MEANS A DEVICE THAT IS CAPAB LE OF 4
TRANSMITTING , RECEIVING, OR RECORDING MESSAGE S, IMAGES, SOUNDS, DATA, OR 5
OTHER INFORMATION BY ELECTRONIC M EANS OR THAT , IN APPEARANCE , 6
PURPORTS TO BE A CEL L PHONE, COMPUTER, OR OTHER SUCH DEVICE . 7
(2) “ELECTRONIC DEVICE ” INCLUDES A CELL PHON E OR COMPUTER . 8
(3) “ELECTRONIC DEVICE ” DOES NOT INCLUDE A V IDEO LOTTERY 9
TERMINAL AS DEFINED UNDER § 9–1A–01 OF THE STATE GOVERNMENT ARTICLE. 10
[(c)] (E) “Gaming event” means a carnival, bazaar, or raffle. 11
(F) (1) “GEOFENCE” MEANS TECHNOLOGY THA T ESTABLISHES A 12
VIRTUAL GEOGRAPHICAL BOUNDARY. 13
(2) “GEOFENCE” INCLUDES BOUNDARIES THAT ARE ESTABLISHED 14
OR MONITORED THROUGH THE USE OF : 15
(I) GLOBAL POSITIONING T ECHNOLOGY ; 16
(II) CELL TOWER CONNECTIV ITY; 17
(III) CELLULAR DATA ; 18
(IV) RADIO FREQUENCY IDEN TIFICATION; 19
(V) WIRELESS FIDELITY TE CHNOLOGY; OR 20
(VI) ANY OTHER FORM OF LO CATION DETERMINATION 21
TECHNOLOGY. 22
[(d)] (G) “Raffle” means one or more drawings from a single series of chances 23
sold [from chance books]. 24
13–503. 25
(a) THIS SECTION DOES NOT APPLY TO A RAFFLE AUTHORIZED UN DER § 26
13–505.1 OF THIS SUBTITLE. 27
HOUSE BILL 399 3
(B) Before an organization listed in subsection [(b)] (C) of this section may operate 1
a gaming event, the organization shall obtain a permit from the commissioner. 2
[(b)] (C) (1) An organization that meets the conditions of paragraph (2) of this 3
subsection may conduct a gaming event for the benefit of any of the following listed 4
organizations if the organization is a bona fide: 5
(i) religious organization; 6
(ii) fraternal organization; 7
(iii) civic organization; 8
(iv) veterans’ hospital; 9
(v) amateur athletic organization in which all playing members are 10
under the age of 18 years; or 11
(vi) charitable organization. 12
(2) An organization conducting a gaming event shall: 13
(i) be located in Baltimore City; and 14
(ii) spend a majority of the organization’s funds in Baltimore City 15
for: 16
1. fraternal purposes; 17
2. civic purposes; 18
3. purposes related to a veterans’ hospital; 19
4. purposes related to amateur athletics; or 20
5. charitable purposes. 21
[(c)] (D) (1) Before the commissioner may issue a permit, the commissioner 22
shall review the character of the organization applying for the permit to ascertain that the 23
organization meets the requirements of §§ 13–503 through 13–505 of this subtitle. 24
(2) The commissioner shall make any application for a permit and the 25
action taken by the commissioner on that application a matter of public record. 26
[(d)] (E) (1) The permit shall state that the gaming event shall be managed 27
and operated personally only by members of the organization obtaining the permit. 28
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(2) The permit is not transferable. 1
[(e)] (F) An organization conducting a gaming event in Baltimore City may not 2
allow an individual or group of individuals to: 3
(1) benefit financially from the gaming event; or 4
(2) receive any of the proceeds of the gaming event for personal use or 5
benefit. 6
13–505. 7
(a) A permit holder may award prizes in merchandise and money in a raffle in 8
any amount. 9
(b) [A] EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN § 13–505.1(D)(1)(II) OF THIS SUBTITLE , A 10
permit holder may not conduct more than 12 raffles in a calendar year. 11
13–505.1. 12
(A) A RAFFLE MAY BE CONDUC TED BY AN ORGANIZATI ON THAT: 13
(1) IS LOCATED IN BALTIMORE CITY; 14
(2) SPENDS A MAJORITY OF THE ORGANIZATION ’S FUNDS IN 15
BALTIMORE CITY FOR: 16
(I) FRATERNAL PURPOSES ; 17
(II) CIVIC PURPOSES ; 18
(III) PURPOSES RELATED TO A VETERANS’ HOSPITAL; 19
(IV) PURPOSES RELATED TO AMATEUR ATHLETICS ; OR 20
(V) CHARITABLE PURPOSES ; AND 21
(3) IS AFFILIATED WITH A PR OFESSIONAL MAJOR LEA GUE BASEBALL 22
TEAM THAT PL AYS ITS HOME GAMES I N BALTIMORE CITY. 23
(B) (1) BEFORE CONDUCTING A R AFFLE, AN ORGANIZATION SHAL L 24
OBTAIN A WRITTEN PER MIT FROM THE DESIGNA TED CITY AGENCY . 25
HOUSE BILL 399 5
(2) BEFORE ISSUING A PERMIT, THE DESIGNATED CITY AGENCY 1
SHALL ASCERTAIN THE CHARACTER OF THE ORG ANIZATION TO DETERMINE IF THE 2
PERMIT SHOULD BE ISS UED. 3
(C) (1) A PERMIT ISSUED TO AN ORGANIZATION UNDER T HIS SECTION 4
MAY NOT BE TRANSFERR ED. 5
(2) THE PERMIT SHALL STAT E THAT THE RAFFLE IS REQUIRED TO BE 6
MANAGED AND OPERATED ONLY BY MEMBERS OF T HE ORGANIZATION OBTAINI NG 7
THE PERMIT. 8
(D) (1) (I) SUBJECT TO PARAGRAPH (2) OF THIS SUBSECTION , THE 9
DESIGNATED CITY AGEN CY MAY ISSUE A SINGL E PERMIT TO AN ORGAN IZATION TO 10
HOLD RAFFLES AT MULT IPLE PROFESSIONAL MAJOR L EAGUE BASEBALL GAMES 11
PLAYED IN BALTIMORE CITY. 12
(II) THERE IS NO LIMIT ON THE NUMBER OF RAFFLE S THAT AN 13
ORGANIZATION MAY CON DUCT IN CONJUNCTION WITH PROFESSIONAL MAJOR 14
LEAGUE BASEBALL GAME S PLAYED IN BALTIMORE CITY. 15
(2) A PERMIT TO HOLD RAFFL ES AT MULTIPLE PROFE SSIONAL 16
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBAL L GAMES PLAYED IN BALTIMORE CITY EXPIRES AT THE 17
END OF THE CALENDAR YEAR IN WHICH THE PE RMIT IS ISSUED. 18
(E) AN ORGANIZATION CONDUCT ING A RAFFLE MAY : 19
(1) SET THE PRICE OF RAF FLE TICKETS; AND 20
(2) AWARD PRIZES IN MERC HANDISE AND MONEY IN ANY AMOUNT . 21
(F) AN ORGANIZATION CONDU CTING A RAFFLE MAY N OT: 22
(1) BENEFIT FINANCIALLY FROM THE RAFFLE ; OR 23
(2) RECEIVE ANY OF THE P ROCEEDS OF THE RAFFL E FOR PERSONAL 24
USE OR BENEFIT . 25
(G) (1) A RAFFLE TICKET SOLD B Y AN ORGANIZATION IN CONJUNCTION 26
WITH A PROFESSIONAL MAJOR L EAGUE BASEBALL GAME PLAYED IN BALTIMORE 27
CITY: 28
(I) MAY BE SOLD AND RECE IVED ON AN ELECTRONI C DEVICE 29
ONLY WITHIN THE GEOGRAPHICAL BOU NDARIES OF BALTIMORE CITY; AND 30 6 HOUSE BILL 399
(II) SHALL BE SOLD AND RE CEIVED NOT EARLIER THAN 1 HOUR 1
BEFORE THE OFFICIAL START OF TH E BASEBALL GAME AND NOT LATER THAN THE 2
SEVENTH INNING OF THAT BASEB ALL GAME. 3
(2) AN ORGANIZATION CONDU CTING A RAFFLE UNDER THIS SECTION 4
SHALL USE A GEOFENCE TO EN SURE THAT RAFFLE TIC KETS SOLD AND RECEIV ED ON 5
AN ELECTRONIC DEVICE ARE SOLD AND RECEIVED WITHIN THE GEOGRAPHICAL 6
BOUNDARIES OF BALTIMORE CITY. 7
13–510. 8
(a) A person may not knowingly conduct or attempt to conduct a bazaar or raffle 9
in violation of §§ 13–503 through 13–505 AND 13–505.1 of this subtitle. 10
(b) A person who violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction 11
is subject to imprisonment not exceeding 1 year or a fine not exceeding $1,000 or both. 12
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect June 13
1, 2025. 14