658                             LAWS OF MARYLAND                      [CH. 409

CHAPTER 409
(House Bill 799)

AN ACT to repeal and re-enact, with amendments, Section 258 of
Article 27 of the Annotated Code of Maryland (1957 Edition),
title "Crimes and Punishments," subtitle "Gaming" providing for
the number of raffles by one organization in any one year period
and the value of major prizes at such raffles in Carroll County.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That Section 258 of Article 27 of the Annotated Code of Maryland
(1957 Edition), title "Crimes and Punishments," subtitle "Gaming,"
be and it is hereby repealed and re-enacted, with amendments, and
to read as follows:

258.

Nothing in this subtitle shall be construed to make it unlawful
for any bona fide religious, fraternal, civic, war veterans', hospital,
amateur athletic or charitable organization or volunteer fire com-
pany of Carroll County to conduct or hold a carnival, bazaar, raffle,
or game of bingo or other game of entertainment for the benefit of
any such religious, fraternal, civic, war veterans', hospital, amateur
athletic or charitable organization or volunteer fire company, or corpo-
ration, provided that no individual or group of individuals shall benefit
financially from the holding of any such bazaar, carnival, raffle, or
game or shall receive or be paid any of the proceeds from any such
carnival, bazaar, raffle or game for personal use or benefit. At such
carnival, bazaar or game, it shall be lawful to award prizes to any
individual in merchandise up to $5.00 in any one game. At such
carnival, bazaar, raffle or game, it shall be lawful to award prizes
to any individual in merchandise in a raffle by means of chance
books, but there shall be only one major prize in any such raffle and
no organization shall have more than one such raffle or participate in
more than one such raffle in any one year in which the major prize is
valued at $500.00 or more and no organization shall have more than
five raffles or participate in more than five raffles in one year in
which the major prize is valued at less than $500.00. Before any
such carnival, bazaar, raffle or game be operated such group shall
first obtain a permit from the County Commissioners of Carroll
County, which permit shall provide that such carnival, bazaar, raffle
or game shall be managed and operated only by members of such
group and such permit shall not be transferable.

Before the County Commissioners of Carroll County shall issue a
permit to any such organizations, it shall be their duty to ascertain
the character of the organization on whose behalf the application
is made to determine if such application comes within the provisions
of this section. The application and the action taken thereon by the
County Commissioners of Carroll County shall be a public record.
Such permit shall not authorize the operation of any such carnival,
bazaar, raffle or game on the Sabbath Day, commonly called Sunday.

Any person, association or corporation knowingly operating or at-
tempting to operate a carnival, bazaar, raffle, or game as authorized
by this section in violation thereof, shall upon conviction thereof, be