§715. Personnel to hold games; commissions or salaries; equipment and supplies; expenses

A.(1) No person shall hold, operate, or conduct or assist in holding, operating, or conducting any game or games of chance under any license issued under this Chapter except an active member of an organization or association issued a charitable gaming license under the provisions of this Chapter. However, only an active bona fide member of an organization or association can act in a managerial capacity in accordance with the Louisiana Charitable Gaming laws, rules, and regulations. Bingo callers need not be managerial positions.

(2)(a) No commission, salary, compensation, reward, or recompense, including but not limited to granting or use of bingo cards without charge or at a reduced charge, shall be paid or given directly or indirectly to any person holding, operating, or conducting any licensed game or games of chance.

(b) Any person, association, or corporation licensed to hold, operate, or conduct any games of chance under any license issued pursuant to this Chapter may compensate, for services rendered, any fifteen employees, including a bingo caller, who assist in the holding, operating, or conducting of such games. The rate of compensation shall be no more than fifteen dollars per hour and in any event shall not exceed ninety dollars per session for any employee. Each employee or volunteer worker may also be provided meals and beverages to be eaten on the premises not to exceed a total value of fifteen dollars per person. Expenditures made under the provisions of this Subsection shall be subject to the reporting provisions of R.S. 4:716. Compensation provided for in this Paragraph shall not constitute a violation of the prohibition against the payment or giving of a commission, salary, compensation, reward, or recompense to any person holding, operating, or conducting any such game.

(3)(a) No manufacturer, distributor, commercial lessor, or his agents or employees, who directly or indirectly leases premises or sells, leases, or otherwise distributes gaming supplies or equipment, or furnishes any commodities or services in relation to the conduct of any charitable game of chance shall take part in the holding, operation, or conduct of a game of chance. However, nothing in this Chapter shall prohibit the owner of a premises from having a representative present to protect his interests in the premises.

(b) Any distributor or noncommercial lessor who owns electronic bingo machines as provided for in R.S. 4:724, or electronic pull-tab devices as provided for in R.S. 4:733 shall assign an employee or agent to be present at all times that the machines owned by that distributor or noncommercial lessor are in use. No person other than the distributor, noncommercial lessor, or his employee or agent shall pay the winnings to each person who wins cash prizes from the machines owned by a distributor or noncommercial lessor.

(4) No such game of chance shall be conducted with any supplies or equipment except such as shall be owned absolutely, provided without payment of any compensation by the licensee, or purchased from a licensed manufacturer or distributor of such supplies or equipment, unless permitted by rules of the office.

(5) No item of expense shall be incurred or paid in connection with the holding, operating, or conducting of any game of chance held, operated, or conducted pursuant to any license issued under this Chapter, except such as are bona fide items of reasonable amount of goods, wares, equipment, and merchandise furnished or services rendered, which are reasonably necessary to be purchased or furnished for the holding, operating, or conducting thereof, under any circumstances whatever.

(6) No licensee shall pay any consulting fees to any person for any service performed in relation to the conduct of any charitable game of chance or concession fees to any person who provides refreshments to the participants in any such games.

(7) No lease providing for a rental arrangement for premises or equipment shall provide for payment in excess of the reasonable market rental rate for such premises or equipment and in no case shall any payment be based on a percentage of gross receipts or profits derived from a game of chance.

B.(1) No person shall hold, operate, or conduct or assist in holding, operating, or conducting of any game or games of chance under any license issued under this Chapter except an active member of an organization or association issued a charitable gaming license under the provisions of this Chapter. However, only an active bona fide member of an organization or association can act in a managerial capacity in accordance with the Louisiana Charitable Gaming laws, rules, and regulations. Bingo callers need not be managerial positions. No such game of chance shall be conducted with any equipment except such as shall be owned absolutely or used without payment of any compensation therefor by the licensee, and no item of expense shall be incurred or paid in connection with the holding, operating, or conducting of any game of chance, held, operated, or conducted pursuant to any license issued under this Chapter, except such as are bona fide items of reasonable amount of goods, wares, equipment, and merchandise furnished or services rendered, which are reasonably necessary to be purchased or furnished for the holding, operating, or conducting thereof, under any circumstances whatever, and no commission, salary, compensation, reward, or recompense whatever shall be paid or given, directly or indirectly, to any person holding, operating, or conducting, or assisting in the holding, operation, or conduct, of any game of chance so held, operated, or conducted.

(2) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, any person, association, or corporation licensed to hold, operate, or conduct any games of chance that benefit persons with visual impairments, hearing loss, paraplegia, quadriplegia, intellectual disabilities, or persons sixty years of age or older, under any license issued pursuant to this Chapter, may compensate for services rendered, any fifteen employees who assist in the holding, operating, or conducting of such games. The rate of compensation shall be no more than fifteen dollars per hour and in any event shall not exceed ninety dollars per session for any employee. Each employee or volunteer worker may also be provided meals and beverages to be eaten on the premises not to exceed a total value of fifteen dollars per person. Expenditures made under the provisions of this Subsection shall be subject to the reporting provisions of R.S. 4:716. Compensation provided for in this Subsection shall not constitute a violation of the prohibition against the payment or giving of a commission, salary, compensation, reward, or recompense to any person holding, operating, or conducting, or assisting in the holding, operation, or conduct of any such game.

Acts 1999, No. 568, §3, eff. June 30, 1999; Acts 2003, No. 614, §1, eff. July 1, 2003; Acts 2014, No. 811, §1, eff. June 23, 2014; Acts 2015, No. 168, §1, eff. June 23, 2015; Acts 2017, No. 146, §1.