You asked for a summary of the changes the legislature has made to CGS § 7-186a since that statute was enacted, including a legislative history of the changes that allowed high schools to sponsor "Las Vegas nights" at certain events.

SUMMARY

CGS § 7-186a allows (1) qualified organizations to hold Las Vegas nights to raise funds for organizational purposes and (2) high schools to hold Las Vegas Nights at certain school-sponsored events. The original legislation, passed in 1972, allowed qualified nonprofit organizations, associations, or corporations to promote and operate games of chance under specified conditions. A 1978 law deemed any reference to games of chance in CGS §§ 7-186a through 7-186p as "Las Vegas" nights. These statutes provide the regulatory framework for Las Vegas nights.

CGS § 7-186a has been amended nine times since 1972 to

1. exclude dealers in gambling devices, their agents, and employees from promoting or operating games of chance for sponsoring organizations (PA 75-640);

2. (a) raise from one to two years the length of time sponsoring organizations must operate on a nonprofit basis before they can qualify for a games of chance permit and (b) add an exception to the requirement that applicants be members of the sponsoring organization (PA 76-404);

3. deem reference to games of chance in certain statutes as Las Vegas nights and require sponsoring organizations, except religious organizations, to register with the consumer protection department (DCP) (PA 78-327);

4. limit the registration requirement to charitable organizations (PA 81-72);

5. allow high schools to hold Las Vegas nights in connection with senior prom or graduation activities, at which seniors, and their guests who are at least age 17, may play games of chance (PA 87-288);

6. allow more types of entities to hold Las Vegas nights (PA 89-214);

7. (a) allow high school juniors to play games of chance at school-sponsored Las Vegas night social events held in connection with junior proms and lower the age of guests from 17 to 16 and (b) authorize cow-chip bingo as a game of chance (PA 90-35);

8. make cow-chip bingo a bazaar and raffle type game subject to the bazaar and raffle laws, instead of a game of chance (PA 91-35); and

9. make technical changes (PA 93-55).

The legislative history of the act allowing Las Vegas nights to be held in connection with senior proms and graduations shows that some legislators opposed the idea. But all the people who testified on the bill (SB 1017) at the public hearing (mostly parents and teachers) supported it, and the General Law Committee reported it favorably by a vote of 28 to 2. One person argued against the bill in the Senate, which passed it by a vote of 29 to 6. Several representatives spoke against it in the House, where it passed by a vote of 87 to 50.

Generally, those who argued in favor of the bill said it would provide a safe alternative to drug and alcohol parties that were apparently becoming a problem at proms and graduations. Those who opposed it said that gambling was morally wrong and as addictive as alcohol.

The provision allowing Las Vegas nights to be held in connection with junior proms passed as an amendment to sHB 5924 in both the House and Senate without debate.

PA 60-AN ACT CONCERNING THE OPERATION OF GAMES OF CHANCE BY CERTAIN NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS

The legislature passed the original legislation in 1972. Section 1 of the act, which was codified as CGS § 7-186a, allowed qualified nonprofit organizations, associations, or corporations to promote and operate games of chance if they had been functioning as a nonprofit entity for at least one year, received a permit to conduct the games, and met other standards. Among other things, CGS § 7-186a (1) allowed only qualified members of the sponsoring organization to promote and operate the games, (2) prohibited members from receiving remuneration for their services; (3) prohibited people under age 18 from promoting, conducting, operating, or playing games of chance; and (4) required funds derived from the games to be used only for the purpose stated in the organization's permit application.

The act also included application, record keeping, permitting, and reporting standards; penalties for violation; and a requirement for the state police commissioner to adopt implementing regulations. These provisions were codified in §§ 7-186b through 7-186m.

ACTS AMENDING CGS § 7-186a

PA 75-640-An Act Concerning Operation of Games of Chance

This act prohibited gambling device dealers and their agents and employees from promoting or operating games of chance for organizations sponsoring such games.

PA 76-404-An Act Concerning Games of Chance

This act amended CGS § 7-186a by (1) increasing from one to two years the length of time a sponsoring organization must operate as a nonprofit entity to qualify for a games of chance permit and (2) adding an exception to the requirement for applicants to be members of the organization.

The act also amended other games of chance statutes to

1. impose limitations and requirements on sponsoring organizations and people conducting games of chance for them;

2. require that games of chance be held in the sponsoring organization's town or a contiguous town;

3. increase penalties for violations;

4. specify that coupons and certificates for goods may be issued only by the sponsoring organization and must contain a notation that it is illegal to redeem them for cash;

5. expressly prohibit wagering or gambling for money;

6. prohibit making any bet using any representation of money that exceeds $ 25;

7. impose more stringent standards for an organization to qualify to sponsor games of chance and make minor changes in record keeping, reporting, and application requirements for sponsoring organizations;

8. require sponsoring organizations to reimburse municipalities for the costs of assigning policemen to be to the site where games of chance are being conducted; and

9. eliminate an prohibition on conducting games of chance on Sunday.

PA 78-327-An Act Concerning Enforcement Procedures for Las Vegas Nights

This act deemed references to games of chance in certain statutes as Las Vegas nights and required all organizations, except religious organizations, sponsoring such games to register with DCP.

The act also amended other games of chance statutes to impose additional requirements with respect to prizes, betting at the event, permit application, and record keeping and accounting requirements.

PA 81-72-An Act Concerning the Issuance of Las Vegas Nights Permits

Under prior law, all nonprofit organizations holding Las Vegas nights or operating games of chance were required to register as charities with DCP. This act exempted nonprofit organizations that are not charities from the registration requirement.

PA 87-288-An Act Concerning Secondary School Social Events

Provisions. This act allowed high school seniors, and their guests who are at least age 17, to play games of chance at Las Vegas night social events sponsored either by their school or a group of their parents, teachers, or administrators, if

1. the games are operated in connection with the senior prom or graduation activities;

2. only two of these events are held each year for the same students;

3. parents, teachers, or administrators supervise the event and operate the games;

4. the event is not advertised or open to the public;

5. there is no charge beyond a nominal admission fee to pay for equipment or refreshments;

6. wagering anything of value is prohibited (although door prizes are allowed); and

7. no alcohol is served.

Legislative History. PA 87-288 began as SB 1017. The General Law Committee held a public hearing on the bill on March 6, 1987. All the people who spoke in committee supported the bill mainly on the grounds that it would provide a safe, nonalcoholic, and drug free environment for children and adults to socialize. The committee passed the bill by a vote of 28 to 2.

The Senate considered the bill on May 12. Senator Sullivan explained it and argued that it would provide kids a safe alternative to the drug and alcohol parties that were sometimes associated with prom and graduation celebrations. He also introduced Senate amendment A, which exempted parents from the one-year membership requirement for organization sponsors. All, but one, of the senators who spoke supported the bill on the same grounds raised by Senator Sullivan and in committee. Senator Robertson said the bill's goals were worthy but gambling was morally questionable. The Senate passed the amended bill by a 29 to 6 vote.

On May 15, the House heard the bill as amended by the Senate. Those who supported it did so for the same reasons raised in committee and in the Senate. Among the several representatives who argued against the bill were Representatives Nania, Patton, and Savage.

Representative Nania described the bill as "terrible. " He said that the bill's passage would amount to an admission by teachers, parents, and administrators that they had failed to teach children that things like dancing, conversation, and music are as meaningful and exciting as gambling. Representative Patton said the bill's "noble cause of keeping kids in school won't keep the kids in school; it will just teach them how to gamble and to gamble out of school. . . [and] create a constituency of gamblers that will then promote further gambling in Connecticut" (House Proc. , May 15, 1987, p. 7120). Representative Savage said it was unwise to use "one negative to overcome one negative (sic) and that that gambling is a disease and could be just as addictive as liquor" (House Proc. , May 15, 1987, p. 7081). The House passed the bill by a vote of 87 to 50.

PA 89-214-An Act Concerning Bingo, Bazaars, Raffles and Games of Chance

Prior law allowed only nonprofit entities to hold Las Vegas nights. This act broadened the range of entities by allowing the following to do so: charitable, civic, educational, fraternal, veterans or religious organizations; volunteer fire departments; granges; and political parties or their town committees.

The act also modified other Las Vegas nights statutes to

1. require bazaars, raffles, and Las Vegas nights equipment dealers to pay an annual $ 300 registration fee to the state treasurer and have a principal, rather than the principal, place of business in the state;

2. eliminate a requirement that organizations conducting bazaars, raffles, or Las Vegas nights have their financial reports certified by an accountant and (b) require police chiefs or first selectmen to submit to Division of Special Revenue (DSR) the original, instead of the duplicate, of financial reports and permit applications for bazaars, games of chance, and raffles along with permit fees, where applicable;

3. allow members of a bona fide auxiliary of an organization holding Las Vegas nights to assist as workers, provided that at least 15 days before the event, the auxiliary organization files an application with the police chief or first selectman in the municipality where the event is to be held with certain information; and

4. make other miscellaneous changes.

PA 90-325-An Act Making Revisions to the Laws Concerning Education; and Concerning Indemnity for School Board Members, Teachers and Other Employees; Binding Arbitration for Teachers; the Department of Education's Vocational Rehabilitation Division; Conduct of Games of Chance for Secondary School Students; and Educational Programs in Opticianry; and Authorizing Cow-Chip Bingo

Provisions. The law already allowed high school seniors, and their guests who are at least 17 years old, to play games of chance at school-sponsored Las Vegas social events held in connection with senior proms or graduation activities. This act expanded the provision to include junior proms and lowered the guest age to 16. It also allowed Las Vegas nights to be held on a boat if the DSR executive director approves.

The act authorized cow-chip bingo subject to the Las Vegas nights laws. It exempted individuals running cow chip bingo games from the prohibition against using animals to solicit money.

Legislative History. The Las Vegas nights provision was an amendment (LCO 5037, House amendment A) to sHB 5924. Representative Cohen explained the amendment and the House passed it on a voice vote without any substantive debate on May 7, 1990. The cow-chip provision was an amendment (LCO 5415, House amendment G) to the same bill. Representative Belden summarized and explained this amendment, which the House passed on a voice vote without debate. The House passed the amended bill by unanimous vote. Similarly, the Senate passed the amended bill by unanimous vote without debate on May 9.

VR: ro