5:8-6 Duties of commission.

6. It shall be the duty of the commission to supervise the administration of the Bingo Licensing Law and the Raffles Licensing Law and to adopt, amend and repeal rules and regulations governing the issuance and amendment of licenses thereunder and the holding, operating and conducting of games of chance under such licenses, establishing schedules of rentals or charges which may be paid for the leasing, sale or providing of equipment for use in or in connection with the holding, operating or conducting of any game or games of chance authorized to be held, operated or conducted under the Bingo Licensing Law or the Raffles Licensing Law, and prescribing fees for registrations, licenses and other services provided pursuant to P.L.1954, c.7 (C.5:8-1 et seq.), as amended and supplemented, which shall have the force of law and shall be binding upon all municipalities issuing licenses under either or both of said laws and upon all licensees thereunder and lessors, sellers or providers of equipment to licensees, to the end that such licenses shall be issued to qualified licensees only and that said games of chance shall be fairly and properly conducted for the purposes and in the manner in said laws prescribed and to prevent the games of chance authorized to be conducted by said laws from being conducted for commercial purposes instead of for the purposes authorized in said laws, and in order to provide uniformity in the administration of said laws throughout the State, the commission shall prescribe forms of applications for licenses, licenses, amendment of licenses, reports of the conduct of games and other matters incident to the administration of said laws. The commission shall receive and investigate applications from organizations wishing to hold, operate or conduct any game or games of chance pursuant to the Bingo Licensing Law or the Raffles Licensing Law, as amended and supplemented. If the commission determines that the applicant is a bona fide organization or association of veterans of any war in which the United States has been engaged or a church or a religious congregation or a religious organization or a charitable, educational or fraternal organization, or a civic or service club, or a senior citizen association or club, or an officially recognized volunteer fire company or an officially recognized volunteer first aid or rescue squad, the commission shall issue to it a registration certificate as proof of such a determination. The certificate shall be sufficient proof to a municipal governing body that the organization holding it is eligible to apply for a license to hold, operate and conduct games of chance in accordance with the provisions of the Bingo Licensing Law or the Raffles Licensing Law, as the case may be. The commission shall have power also to approve any person, persons or corporation, applying to it for approval, to lease, sell or provide any equipment for use in or in connection with the holding, operating or conducting of any game or games of chance authorized to be held, operated or conducted under the Bingo Licensing Law or the Raffles Licensing Law as to such person's or persons' good moral character and freedom from conviction of crime or, if a corporation, as to the good moral character and freedom from conviction of crime of all of its officers and each of its stockholders who hold 10% or more of its stock issued and outstanding, and any such application may be disapproved by the commission after hearing and due notice thereof if it shall find that the applicant is not of good moral character and free from conviction of crime as hereinbefore prescribed. For the purposes of this section, upon the request of the commissioner, each applicant for approval to lease, sell or provide any equipment for use in or in connection with the holding, operating or conducting of any game or games of chance authorized to be held, operated or conducted under the Bingo Licensing Law or the Raffles Licensing Law, shall submit to the commission the applicant's name, address, fingerprints and written consent for a criminal history record background check to be performed. The commission is hereby authorized to exchange fingerprint data with and receive criminal history record information from the State Bureau of Identification in the Division of State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation consistent with applicable State and federal laws, rules and regulations. The applicant shall bear the cost for the criminal history record background check, including all costs of administering and processing the check. The Division of State Police shall promptly notify the commission in the event an applicant or prospective applicant, who was the subject of a criminal history record background check pursuant to this section, is arrested for a crime or offense in this State after the date the background check was performed.

L.1954,c.7,s.6; amended 1955, c.162, s.1; 1994, c.63, s.1; 2003, c.199, s.4.