SB 399: Modify Attorney General's Charitable Gaming Law authority
the bill aims to modify the attorney general's authority under the charitable gaming law. the charitable law fund will be used to cover expenses of the charitable law section of the office of the attorney general, as well as to administer and enforce the charitable gaming law. the fund will receive annual fees and other revenue from charitable gaming operations. the bill also prohibits certain activities, including bookmaking, conducting games of chance for profit, and transmitting information for use in establishing odds or determining winners. exemptions are made for certain charitable organizations that conduct games of chance, as long as they meet specific requirements.
| Apr. 15, 2026 | Referred to committee: Select Committee on Gaming |
| Mar. 26, 2026 | Introduced |
As Introduced
136th General Assembly
Regular Session
S. B. No. 399
2025-2026
Senator Schaffer
To amend sections 109.32, 2915.02, 2915.08, 1 2915.081, 2915.082, 2915.10, and 2915.14 and to 2 enact sections 2915.021 and 2915.083 of the 3 Revised Code to modify the Attorney General's 4 authority under the Charitable Gaming Law and to 5 make related changes to that law. 6
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF OHIO:
That sections 109.32, 2915.02, 2915.08, 2915.081, 2915.082, 2915.10, and 2915.14 be amended and sections 2915.021 and 2915.083 of the Revised Code be enacted to read as follows:
(A) All annual filing fees obtained by the attorney general pursuant to section 109.31 of the Revised Code, all receipts obtained from the sale of the charitable foundations directory, all registration fees received by the attorney general, bond forfeitures, awards of costs and attorney's fees, and civil penalties assessed under Chapter 1716. of the Revised Code, all license fees received by the attorney general under section 2915.08, 2915.081, or 2915.082 of the Revised Code, all fees received by the attorney general under section 2915.15 of the Revised Code, and all filing fees received by the attorney general under divisions (F) and (G) of section 2915.02 of the Revised Code, shall be paid into the state treasury to the credit of the charitable law fund.
(B) (1) Except as otherwise provided in divisions (B) (2) and (3) of this section, the charitable law fund shall be used insofar as its moneys are available for the expenses of the charitable law section of the office of the attorney general.
(2) All annual license fees that are received by the attorney general under section 2915.08, 2915.081, or 2915.082 of the Revised Code, and all filing fees received by the attorney general under divisions (F) and (G) of section 2915.02 of the Revised Code, that are credited to the fund shall be used by the attorney general, or any law enforcement agency in cooperation with the attorney general, for the purposes specified in division (H) of section 2915.10 of the Revised Code and to administer and enforce Chapter 2915. of the Revised Code.
(3) All fees received by the attorney general under section 2915.15 of the Revised Code that are credited to the fund shall be used for the purposes specified in that section.
(C) The expenses of the charitable law section in excess of moneys available in the charitable law fund shall be paid out of regular appropriations to the office of the attorney general.
(A) No person shall do any of the following:
(1) Engage in bookmaking, or knowingly engage in conduct that facilitates bookmaking;
(2) Establish, promote, or operate or knowingly engage in conduct that facilitates any game of chance conducted for profit or any scheme of chance;
(3) Knowingly procure, transmit, exchange, or engage in conduct that facilitates the procurement, transmission, or exchange of information for use in establishing odds or determining winners in connection with bookmaking or with any game of chance conducted for profit or any scheme of chance;
(4) Engage in betting or in playing any scheme or game of chance as a substantial source of income or livelihood;
(5) Conduct, or participate in the conduct of, a sweepstakes with the use of a sweepstakes terminal device at a sweepstakes terminal device facility and either:
(a) Give to another person any item described in division (VV) (1), (2), (3), or (4) of section 2915.01 of the Revised Code as a prize for playing or participating in a sweepstakes; or
(b) Give to another person any merchandise prize, or a redeemable voucher for a merchandise prize, the wholesale value of which is in excess of ten dollars and which is awarded as a single entry for playing or participating in a sweepstakes. Redeemable vouchers shall not be redeemable for a merchandise prize that has a wholesale value of more than ten dollars.
(6) Conduct, or participate in the conduct of, a sweepstakes with the use of a sweepstakes terminal device at a sweepstakes terminal device facility without first obtaining a current annual "certificate of registration" from the attorney general as required by division (F) of this section;
(7) With purpose to violate division (A) (1), (2), (3), (4), (5), or (6) of this section, acquire, possess, control, or operate any gambling device.
(B) For purposes of division (A) (1) of this section, a person facilitates bookmaking if the person in any way knowingly aids an illegal bookmaking operation, including, without limitation, placing a bet with a person engaged in or facilitating illegal bookmaking. For purposes of division (A) (2) of this section, a person facilitates a game of chance conducted for profit or a scheme of chance if the person in any way knowingly aids in the conduct or operation of any such game or scheme, including, without limitation, playing any such game or scheme.
(C) This section does not prohibit conduct in connection with gambling expressly permitted by law.
(D) This section does not apply to any of the following:
(1) Games of chance, if all of the following apply:
(a) The games of chance are not craps for money or roulette for money.
(b) The games of chance are conducted by a charitable organization that is, and has received from the internal revenue service a determination letter that is currently in effect, stating that the organization is, exempt from federal income taxation under subsection 501 (a) and described in subsection 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
(c) The games of chance are conducted at festivals of the charitable organization that are conducted not more than a total of five days a calendar year, and are conducted on premises owned by the charitable organization for a period of no less than one year immediately preceding the conducting of the games of chance, on premises leased from a governmental unit, or on premises that are leased from a veteran's or fraternal organization and that have been owned by the lessor veteran's or fraternal organization for a period of no less than one year immediately preceding the conducting of the games of chance.
A charitable organization shall not lease premises from a veteran's or fraternal organization to conduct a festival described in division (D) (1) (c) of this section if the veteran's or fraternal organization already has leased the premises twelve times during the preceding year to charitable organizations for that purpose. If a charitable organization leases premises from a veteran's or fraternal