An Act To Amend the Laws Governing Tournament Games
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 17 MRSA §333-A, sub-§4, as amended by PL 2007, c. 610, §2, is further amended to read:
4. Tournament. The organization licensed to conduct a tournament game under this section shall display the rules of the game and the license issued to conduct the tournament. The maximum number of players allowed is 100 may not exceed the legal maximum allowable occupancy for that venue. Winners are determined by a process of elimination. The use of currency is prohibited as part of tournament play. The maximum entry fee to play in the tournament is $100, except the organization may add to the player entry fee to defray the cost of the license fee, as long as the total additional amount collected from all players does not exceed $200. Only one entry fee is permitted per person. A tournament must be completed within 48 hours. Other games of chance are prohibited, except for lucky seven or similar sealed tickets.
Sec. 2. 17 MRSA §333-A, sub-§5, as amended by PL 2007, c. 610, §3, is further amended to read:
5. Proceeds. Seventy-five percent No less than 75% of the entry fees under subsection 4 must be paid as prizes to the winners of the tournament.
SUMMARY
Current law limits to 100 the number of players allowed to participate in a tournament game such as Texas Hold ’em. This bill eliminates the limit of 100 players and instead provides that the number of players may not exceed the legal maximum allowable occupancy for that venue.
In addition, current law requires that 75% of the entry fees be paid as prizes to the winners of the tournament. This bill instead provides that no less than 75% of the entry fees be paid to the winners.