HARRY HUGHES, Governor                                       2609

(1982 Replacement Volume and 1985 Supplement)

BY adding to

Article 27 - Crimes and Punishment

Section 251B

Annotated Code of Maryland

(1982 Replacement Volume and 1985 Supplement)

BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments,

Article 27 - Crimes and Punishments

Section 256

Annotated Code of Maryland

(1982 Replacement Volume and 1985 Supplement)

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF
MARYLAND, That the Laws of Maryland read as follows:

Article 27 - Crimes and Punishments
[251B.

This subtitle may not be construed to make it unlawful for a
bona fide fraternal, civic, war veterans, religious, patriotic,
educational on charitable organization or corporation or
volunteer fire company in Worcester County to conduct a raffle
for the benefit of a charity in that county or in furtherance of
the purposes of that organization, corporation or volunteer fire
company. However, an individual or group of individuals may not
benefit personally from the holding of any raffle. At a raffle it
shall be lawful to award prizes by devices commonly known as
paddle wheels, wheels of fortune or chance books. A group,
organization, corporation or volunteer fire company must first
obtain from the County Commissioners of Worcester County a
permit, which provides that the raffle be managed and operated
only by members of that group, organization, corporation or
volunteer fire company personally.

The County Commissioners of Worcester County are authorized
to adopt and amend regulations governing the issuance of raffle
permits, to charge a fee of ten dollars for each raffle permit,
to require a statement under oath at the conclusion of each
raffle to be filed by the organization for whom a permit has been
issued, to regulate the number of permits which may be issued to
a particular organization for each fiscal year, to provide the
grounds for refusal of a permit to any organization which has
violated the terms of this section or of the regulations adopted
pursuant to it for a period of three years and to provide the
means for determining whether a group, organization or
corporation is qualified to obtain a permit under the provisions
of this section, and to provide when a particular raffle may be
conducted.