History: P.A. 05-11 amended Subsec. (a)(3) to increase from five to twenty dollars the maximum value of prizes
awarded, effective May 4, 2005.
Sec. 7-172. Qualifications for sponsorship of or participation in bazaar or raffle. Ticket sale. No bazaar or raffle may be promoted, operated or conducted in any
municipality after the adoption of the provisions of sections 7-170 to 7-186, inclusive,
unless it is sponsored and conducted exclusively by (1) an officially recognized organization or association of veterans of any war in which the United States has been engaged,
(2) a church or religious organization, (3) a civic, service or social club, (4) a fraternal
or fraternal benefit society, (5) an educational or charitable organization, (6) an officially
recognized volunteer fire company, (7) a political party or town committee thereof, or
(8) a municipality acting through a committee designated to conduct a celebration of
the municipality's founding on its hundredth anniversary or any multiple thereof. Any
such sponsoring organization, except a committee designated pursuant to subdivision
(8) of this section, shall have been organized in good faith and actively functioning as
a nonprofit organization within the municipality that is to issue the permit for a period
of not less than six months prior to its application for a permit under the provisions of
said sections. The promotion and operation of a bazaar or raffle shall be confined solely to
the qualified members of the sponsoring organization, provided a committee designated
pursuant to subdivision (8) of this section may promote or operate through its members
and any officially appointed volunteers. No such member or officially appointed volunteer in the case of a raffle held pursuant to subdivision (8) of this section may receive
remuneration in any form for time or effort devoted to the promotion or operation of
the bazaar or raffle. No person under the age of eighteen years may promote, conduct,
operate or work at a bazaar or raffle and no person under the age of sixteen years may
sell or promote the sale of any raffle tickets, nor shall any sponsoring organization permit
any person under the age of eighteen to so promote, conduct or operate any bazaar or
raffle or any person under the age of sixteen to sell or promote the sale of such tickets.
Any sponsoring organization having received a permit from any municipality may sell
or promote the sale of such raffle tickets in that municipality and in any other town, city
or borough which has adopted the provisions of sections 7-170 to 7-186, inclusive. Such
organization may accept a credit card, debit card, check or cash as payment for a raffle
ticket. All funds derived from any bazaar or raffle shall be used exclusively for the
purpose stated in the application of the sponsoring organization as provided in section
7-173.
(1955, S. 293d; 1957, P.A. 284; 1972, P.A. 127, S. 9, 251; P.A. 81-73; P.A. 86-419, S. 3, 25; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-17, S. 2, 59; P.A. 95-59, S. 2, 3; P.A. 03-60, S. 1; P.A. 05-37, S. 1.)
History: 1972 acts changed age of majority to eighteen and allowed political party or town committee to conduct bazaars
and raffles; P.A. 81-73 replaced the requirement that a sponsoring organization function within the state for a period of at
least three years with a requirement that it function within the municipality that is to issue the permit for at least three
years; P.A. 86-419 decreased the period of time a sponsoring organization shall be actively functioning as a nonprofit
organization from three years to one year; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-17 added Subdiv. (8) to authorize a municipal founding
celebration committee to sponsor and conduct a bazaar or raffle, exempted such committee from requirement that sponsoring organization be nonprofit, permitted such committee to promote or operate bazaars or raffles through its members and
officially appointed volunteers and prohibited officially appointed volunteers from receiving remuneration for time devoted
to operation of bazaars or raffles; P.A. 95-59 changed the length of time a sponsoring organization must be nonprofit within
the municipality issuing the permit from one year to six months, effective May 31, 1995; P.A. 03-60 authorized organizations
to accept a credit card, debit card, check or cash as payment for a raffle ticket and made a technical change; P.A. 05-37
amended Subdiv. (3) to allow a social club to conduct bazaars and raffles, effective May 17, 2005.
Sec. 7-185a. Exceptions for certain organizations. "Fifty-fifty" coupon games.
Cow-chip raffles. Teacup raffles. Duck-race raffles. Frog-race raffles. (a) Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 7-170 to 7-186, inclusive, and the regulations adopted
thereunder, any organized church, volunteer fire company or veterans organization or
association conducting a bazaar or raffle, (1) may have the actual drawing of the raffle
in a municipality other than the municipality which grants the permit, provided the chief
executive officer of the other municipality has in writing approved such drawing; (2)
may conduct the bazaar in a municipality other than the municipality which grants the
permit, provided the municipality in which the bazaar is to be conducted has adopted
the provisions of sections 7-170 to 7-186, inclusive, and the chief executive officer of
such municipality has in writing approved such bazaar; (3) may be permitted to redeem
prizes in cash; (4) shall be exempt from the requirement of preserving unsold raffle
tickets beyond ninety days after the conclusion of the holding, operating and conducting
of such bazaar or raffle and shall be permitted to dispose of unclaimed prizes after such
ninety days; and (5) may file a reconciliation of expenditures and receipts signed by an
officer in lieu of an accountant.
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 7-170 to 7-186, inclusive, and the
regulations adopted thereunder, any sponsoring organization qualified to conduct a bazaar or raffle under the provisions of section 7-172 and recognized as a nonprofit organization under the provisions of Section 501(c)(3) of the federal Internal Revenue Code
of 1986, or any subsequent corresponding internal revenue code of the United States,
as from time to time amended, may have the actual drawing of the raffle in a municipality
other than the municipality which grants the permit, provided the chief executive officer
of the other municipality has in writing approved such drawing.
(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 7-177, any organization conducting
a bazaar may operate "fifty-fifty" coupon games each day of a permitted bazaar event
and may award cash prizes of fifty per cent of "fifty-fifty" coupon game sales for each
coupon drawing conducted. Not more than three scheduled drawings may be held on
any day on which a bazaar is permitted. A "fifty-fifty" coupon game shall be operated
from an authorized bazaar booth, subject to the regulation of the executive director of
the Division of Special Revenue and shall allow for the sale of "fifty-fifty" coupons at
a predetermined uniform price. Each "fifty-fifty" coupon shall be consecutively numbered and shall have a correspondingly numbered stub. Each sponsoring organization
shall provide different colored coupons for each drawing and shall award one prize for
each drawing held. Each organization conducting such games shall conspicuously post,
at each bazaar booth at which such games are conducted, a notice or notices which shall
include the dates, times and places of any "fifty-fifty" coupon drawings, as well as the
prices and colors of coupons to be sold for each drawing. The executive director shall
prescribe the form of such notice which shall contain the following statement: "Holders
of coupons must be present to claim a prize." Each such organization shall account for
each coupon printed and sold for each drawing and shall announce the amount of sales
and the prize to be awarded immediately prior to each drawing. The sponsoring organization shall preserve all sold and unsold coupons or stubs for a period of at least one
year from the date of the verified statement required pursuant to section 7-182. At the
conclusion of a bazaar, each organization conducting such games, and its members who
were in charge thereof, shall furnish to the chief of police of the municipality or to the
first selectman, as the case may be, a verified statement, prescribed by the executive
director of the Division of Special Revenue, in duplicate, showing (1) the total number
of coupons purchased and sold for each "fifty-fifty" coupon game drawing, and (2) the
total number and amount of prizes awarded and the names and addresses of the persons
to whom the prizes were awarded. Such report shall be furnished during the next succeeding month. The chief of police or first selectman, as the case may be, shall forward
the original copy of such report to the executive director, who shall keep it on file and
available for public inspection for a period of one year thereafter. Such report shall be
certified to under penalty of false statement by the three persons designated in the permit
application as being responsible for the bazaar.
(d) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 7-177, any sponsoring organization
qualified to conduct a bazaar or raffle under the provisions of section 7-172 may operate
a cow-chip raffle once a calendar year and, pursuant to a "Class No. 1", "Class No. 2"
or "Class No. 4" permit, may award cash prizes in connection with participation in such
a raffle, in addition to those prizes authorized pursuant to section 7-177. Such raffles
shall conform to the provisions of sections 7-170 to 7-186, inclusive, and shall be subject
to regulation by the executive director of the Division of Special Revenue. A cow-chip
raffle shall allow for the sale of consecutively numbered tickets with correspondingly
numbered stubs, entitling the holders of such tickets to the temporary possession of a plot
of land for purposes of the conduct of the cow-chip raffle. Each organization intending to
sponsor or conduct a cow-chip raffle shall furnish with its application, required pursuant
to section 7-173, a cow-chip raffle plot plan displaying the land area to be utilized for
such raffle and the numbered plots, each corresponding to a numbered cow-chip raffle
ticket. Each such organization conducting a cow-chip raffle shall provide for a suitable
land area on which the cow-chip raffle activity is to be conducted. The area shall be
sufficiently enclosed so as to confine any animal utilized in the conduct of a cow-chip
raffle during the period in which the animal is so utilized. The area shall be adequately
marked so as to display the number of plots to be utilized, which shall correspond to
the number of cow-chip raffle tickets to be sold. The manner in which winners in a cow-chip raffle are determined shall be clearly stated prior to the commencement of a cow-chip raffle drawing and each sponsoring organization shall conspicuously post an information board, prescribed by the executive director of the Division of Special Revenue,
which shall display the consecutively numbered plots of the cow-chip raffle event. A
cow-chip raffle drawing shall commence at a designated time and shall continue until
all winners of authorized prizes have been determined. No person may feed, lead or
handle any animal utilized in a cow-chip raffle once the animal has entered into the
enclosed area from which winners will be determined. Each organization conducting a
cow-chip raffle shall deposit all proceeds from the conduct of such raffle in a special
checking account established and maintained by such organization which shall be subject to audit by the Division of Special Revenue. Any expense incidental to the conduct
of such raffle shall be paid from the gross receipts of cow-chip raffle tickets and only
by checks drawn from such checking account. All cash prizes awarded shall be paid
from such checking account.
(e) Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 7-170 to 7-186, inclusive, and the
regulations adopted thereunder, any organization conducting a bazaar may operate a
"teacup raffle" and may award prizes consisting of merchandise not exceeding one
hundred dollars each in value through the sale of chances. No such organization may
conduct more than one scheduled "teacup raffle" drawing for all prizes offered on any
day on which a bazaar is permitted. A "teacup raffle" shall be operated from an authorized bazaar booth, and shall be subject to regulation by the executive director of the
Division of Special Revenue. Each "teacup raffle" ticket shall be consecutively numbered and have a correspondingly numbered stub which shall include the name, address
and telephone number of the purchaser. Each sponsoring organization conducting such
raffle shall conspicuously post, at each bazaar booth at which such raffle is conducted,
a notice or notices which shall include the date and time of any "teacup raffle" drawing.
The sponsoring organization shall preserve all sold and unsold tickets or stubs for a
period of at least one year from the date of the verified statement required pursuant to
section 7-182.
(f) (1) Any sponsoring organization qualified to conduct a bazaar or raffle under
the provisions of section 7-172 may operate a duck-race raffle once each calendar year.
Such raffles shall conform to the provisions of sections 7-170 to 7-186, inclusive, and
shall be subject to regulation by the executive director. For the purpose of this subsection,
"duck-race raffle" means a raffle in which artificial ducks, numbered consecutively to
correspond with the number of tickets sold for such raffle, are placed in a naturally
moving stream of water at a designated starting point and in which the ticket corresponding to the number of the first duck to pass a designated finishing point is the winning
ticket. (2) The executive director of the Division of Special Revenue, with the advice
and consent of the Gaming Policy Board, shall adopt regulations, in accordance with
chapter 54, that establish procedures for the operation of duck-race raffles.
(g) (1) Any sponsoring organization qualified to conduct a bazaar or raffle under
the provisions of section 7-172 may operate a frog-race raffle once each calendar year.
Such raffles shall conform to the provisions of sections 7-170 to 7-186, inclusive, and
shall be subject to regulation by the executive director of the Division of Special Revenue. For the purpose of this subsection, "frog-race raffle" means a raffle in which artificial frogs conforming to specifications approved by the executive director and numbered
consecutively to correspond with the number of tickets sold for such raffle, are placed
in a naturally moving stream of water at a designated starting point and in which the
ticket corresponding to the number of the first frog to pass a designated finishing point
is the winning ticket. (2) The executive director, with the advice and consent of the
Gaming Policy Board, shall adopt regulations, in accordance with chapter 54, that establish procedures for the operation of frog-race raffles.
(P.A. 73-54; P.A. 86-6; 86-403, S. 129, 132; 86-419, S. 2; P.A. 89-211, S. 7; 89-214, S. 13, 26; 89-282, S. 4, 5; P.A.
91-35, S. 1, 5; 91-291, S. 1, 2; P.A. 94-11; P.A. 95-59, S. 1, 3; Jan. 6 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-1, S. 4; P.A. 05-82, S. 1.)
History: P.A. 86-6 subdivided the section, adding Subsec. (b), authorizing certain charitable and educational organizations to have actual raffle drawing in a municipality not granting the permit; P.A. 86-403 changed effective date of P.A.
86-6 from October 1, 1986, to July 1, 1986; P.A. 86-419 added Subsec. (c) to permit any volunteer fire company conducting
a bazaar to award cash prizes for "money-wheel" games; P.A. 89-211 clarified reference to the Internal Revenue Code of
1986 in Subsec. (b); P.A. 89-214 amended Subsec. (c) to permit any "organization or group specified in section 7-172"
conducting a bazaar to award cash prizes for "money-wheel" games, deleting specific reference to any "volunteer fire
company"; P.A. 89-282 added a new Subsec. (d), permitting any organization conducting a bazaar to operate "fifty-fifty"
coupon games; P.A. 91-35 added Subsec. (e) re cow-chip raffles; P.A. 91-291 added Subsec. (f) re "teacup raffles"; P.A.
94-11 amended Subsec. (a) to authorize certain charitable organization to conduct bazaar in municipality not granting the
permit if the municipality has adopted Secs. 7-170 to 7-186, inclusive, and chief executive officer has approved bazaar in
writing; P.A. 95-59 added Subsec. (g) authorizing duck-race raffles subject to regulations adopted by the executive director
of Division of Special Revenue, effective May 31, 1995, and applicable to permit applications for duck-race raffles received
by the Division of Special Revenue on and after the effective date of regulations adopted pursuant to this section; Jan. 6
Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-1 deleted existing Subsec. (c) which had authorized any organization or group specified in Sec. 7-172
to award cash prizes not exceeding twenty-five dollars each in connection with "money-wheel" games, and relettered
existing Subsecs. (d) to (g) as (c) to (f), respectively, and made a technical change in new Subsec. (c), effective January
7, 2003; P.A. 05-82 added Subsec. (g) re frog-race raffles, effective June 2, 2005.