(A) No manufacturer shall sell, offer to sell, or otherwise provide or offer to provide bingo supplies for use in this state without having obtained a license from the attorney general under this section.

(B) The attorney general may issue a manufacturer license to any person that meets the requirements of this section. The application for the license shall be on a form prescribed by the attorney general and be accompanied by the annual fee prescribed by this section. The license is valid for a period of one year, and the annual fee for the license is five thousand dollars.

(C) The attorney general may refuse to issue a manufacturer license to any person to which any of the following applies, or to any person that has an officer, partner, or other person who has an ownership interest of ten per cent or more and to whom any of the following applies:

(1) The person, officer, or partner has been convicted of a felony under the laws of this state, another state, or the United States.

(2) The person, officer, or partner has been convicted of any gambling offense.

(3) The person, officer, or partner has made an incorrect or false statement that is material to the granting of a license in an application submitted to the attorney general under this section or in a similar application submitted to a gambling licensing authority in another jurisdiction if the statement resulted in license revocation through administrative action in the other jurisdiction.

(4) The person, officer, or partner has submitted any incorrect or false information relating to the application to the attorney general under this section, if the information is material to the granting of the license.

(5) The person, officer, or partner has failed to correct any incorrect or false information that is material to the granting of the license in the records required to be maintained under division (F) of section 2915.10 of the Revised Code.

(6) The person, officer, or partner has had a license related to gambling revoked or suspended under the laws of this state, another state, or the United States.

(D)

(1) No manufacturer shall sell, offer to sell, or otherwise provide or offer to provide bingo supplies to any person for use in this state except to a distributor that has been issued a license under section 2915.081 of the Revised Code. No manufacturer shall accept payment for the sale of bingo supplies other than by check or electronic fund transfer.

(2) No manufacturer shall knowingly solicit, offer, pay, or receive any kickback, bribe, or undocumented rebate, directly or indirectly, overtly or covertly, in cash or in kind, in return for providing bingo supplies to any person in this state.

(E)

(1) The attorney general may suspend or revoke a manufacturer license for any of the reasons for which the attorney general may refuse to issue a manufacturer license specified in division (C) of this section or if the manufacturer holding the license violates any provision of this chapter or any rule adopted by the attorney general under this chapter.

(2) The attorney general may perform an onsite inspection of a manufacturer of bingo supplies that is selling, offering to sell, or otherwise providing or offering to provide bingo supplies or that is applying for a license to sell, offer to sell, or otherwise provide or offer to provide bingo supplies in this state.

(F) Whoever violates division (A) or (D) of this section is guilty of illegally operating as a manufacturer. Except as otherwise provided in this division, illegally operating as a manufacturer is a misdemeanor of the first degree. If the offender previously has been convicted of a violation of division (A) or (D) of this section, illegally operating as a manufacturer is a felony of the fifth degree.

Amended by 128th General AssemblyFile No.38, HB 519, §1, eff. 9/10/2010.

Effective Date: 07-01-2003 .