House Bill 141 revises Montana's gambling laws to allow nonprofit organizations, colleges, universities, and school districts to accept credit cards for raffle ticket purchases. This marks a significant change from previous regulations that generally prohibited credit gambling, except under specific circumstances. The bill amends sections of the Montana Code Annotated (MCA) to clarify definitions of credit gambling and internet gambling, ensuring that these entities can utilize credit cards for their raffles. It also maintains certain restrictions, such as requiring that all raffle prizes be owned by the organization before ticket sales begin and limiting individual raffle prize values to $5,000.

Furthermore, the bill stipulates that proceeds from raffles must be used solely for charitable purposes or to pay for prizes, explicitly prohibiting their use for administrative costs. While nonprofit organizations are allowed to sell raffle tickets outside of Montana, the sale of raffle tickets over the internet is generally prohibited, with exceptions for those sponsored by nonprofit organizations. Any online raffle announcements must include specific details about the sale restrictions and the organization. The effective date for this act is set for June 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
LC Text: 23-5-112, 23-5-157, 23-5-413
HB0141_1(1): 23-5-112, 23-5-157, 23-5-413
HB0141_1(10): 23-5-112, 23-5-157, 23-5-413
HB0141_1(2): 23-5-112, 23-5-157, 23-5-413
HB0141_1(3): 23-5-112, 23-5-157, 23-5-413
HB0141_1(4): 23-5-112, 23-5-157, 23-5-413
HB0141_1(5): 23-5-112, 23-5-157, 23-5-413
HB0141_1(6): 23-5-112, 23-5-157, 23-5-413
HB0141_1(7): 23-5-112, 23-5-157, 23-5-413
HB0141_1(8): 23-5-112, 23-5-157, 23-5-413
HB0141_1(9): 23-5-112, 23-5-157, 23-5-413
HB0141_1: 23-5-112, 23-5-157, 23-5-413
HB0141_X(1): 23-5-112, 23-5-157, 23-5-413
HB0141_X(2): 23-5-112, 23-5-157, 23-5-413
HB0141_X: 23-5-112, 23-5-157, 23-5-413