1216                             LAWS OF MARYLAND                        [CH. 715

18A. (1) No free play pinball machines, as hereinafter defined,
or any free play console machine, as hereinafter defined, which shall
be operated or played by the insertion of a coin or token, shall be
kept, maintained or operated for the purpose of public entertain-
ment only within the State of Maryland, unless a license has been
previously obtained for each such machine from the Clerk of the
Circuit Court in the County in which said machine is to be operated
or maintained. Any person, partnership, firm or corporation apply-
ing for such license, shall pay therefor the sum of ten ($10.00)
TWENTY ($20.00) dollars per annum for each free play pinball
machine, as hereinafter defined, and the sum of twenty five ($25.00)
THIRTY-FIVE ($35.00) dollars per annum for each free play con-
sole machine as hereinafter defined. Each machine licensed here-
under shall have affixed to it a certificate issued by the Clerk of the
Circuit Court of the County in which said machine is to be operated
or maintained, showing that the fee for the current year has been
paid. All licenses shall expire on the thirtieth day of April in each
year, shall be transferable to any machine of the same type and the
fee shall be prorated monthly. All license fees collected under the
provisions of this section shall be paid to the County Clerk for
deposit in the "County Fund", and disbursed therefrom in the man-
ner and for the purposes prescribed by the County Commissioners.

(2) for the purposes of this section a "free play pinball machine"
is defined as a machine which, upon the insertion of one or more
coins, causes the mechanism to release one or more balls for the use
of the player, to be propelled by means of a plunger.

Upon the obtaining of certain scores or combinations of numbers,
the machine rewards the player with a specified number o/ free
games, allowing the player to continue to play the machine without
the insertion of additional coins or tokens. The free play pinball
machine shall not pay out either cash or tokens. for the purposes
of this section, a "free play console machine" is defined as a machine,
the mechanism of which is encased in a wooden or metal cabinet,
with a backboard upon which are certain combinations of numbers
or symbols which the player must match. The insertion o/ one or
more coins or tokens by the player releases the mechanism and
causes two or more reels to spin. If the reels stop on specified com-
binations, matching those on the back boards, the machine rewards
the player with a specified number of free games, allowing the player
to continue to play the machine without the insertion of additional
coins or tokens. The free play console machine shall not pay out
either cash or tokens.

(8) The maintenance, possession and operation of machines of
either of the types hereinbefore described, and the awarding of free
games to players of said machines, as above set forth, are hereby
declared to be lawful when such machines are duly licensed in
accordance with the provisions of this section, any other provision
of the law notwithstanding. It shall, however, be unlawful for any
person, partnership, firm or corporation maintaining, operating or
possessing any such machine to permit the use or operation thereof
by any person under the age of eighteen years.

(b) Any person, partnership, firm or corporation keeping, main-
taining, possessing or operating any of the aforesaid machines with-
out a license, as hereinbefore provided, or violating any of the other
provisions of this section, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and