Generally, under present law, the offense of gambling promotion is a Class B misdemeanor. Present law specifies that gambling does not include: (1) A lawful business transaction; (2) Annual events operated for the benefit of nonprofit organizations that are authorized by the general assembly; (3) A state lottery approved by the general assembly; or (4) An online fantasy sports contest licensed by the secretary of state. This bill adds "low-level sports entertainment pools" to the activities not considered gambling. This bill defines such a pool as a type of pari-mutuel betting: (1) In which a participant pays money for participation in a pool and makes selections based on the participant's predictions of either the outcome of a series of athletic contests of the same sport or the statistics of individual athletes selected by the participant to assemble an imaginary team of athletes; (2) That does not involve laying odds; and (3) That has the following characteristics: (A) The total or cumulative entry fee paid by an individual participant is no more than $25.00; (B) The total pool is no more than $1,000; and (C) The pool is managed by an individual and not by any type of business entity.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 71-5-195