As used in this article:

(1) "Bingo" or "game" means a specific game of chance, commonly known as bingo, in which prizes are awarded on the basis of designated numbers or symbols on a card conforming to numbers and symbols selected at random.

(2) "Department" means the South Carolina Department of Revenue.

(3) "Card" means a printed or nonprinted design on which there are arranged five horizontal rows and five vertical columns forming twenty-five squares. Numbers are printed in twenty-four of the squares, and the term "free", "free square", or " free space" is printed in the square or space located in the center of the card. The five columns are denominated from left to right by the respective letters of the word "B-I-N-G-O". Each square in the "B" column contains a number from one through fifteen inclusive; each square in the "I" column contains a number from sixteen through thirty inclusive; except for the center space which is marked as free, each square in the "N" column contains a number from thirty-one through forty-five inclusive; each square in the "G" column contains a number from forty-six through sixty inclusive; and each square in the "O" column contains a number from sixty-one through seventy-five inclusive. A number may not appear twice on the same card. A nonprinted design is a bingo ticket for use only with an electronic dabber. The bingo ticket is a perforated two-part ticket and must bear a sequential serial ticket number, the South Carolina state seal, denomination, number of faces authorized for download or activation, the Department of Revenue issued organization license number, and other information that may be required by the department. The ticket must have designated blanks for entry of the date sold and electronic dabber unit number supplied. Bingo tickets must be printed by a bingo ticket manufacturer licensed by the department and must be sold only by a distributor licensed by the department. Bingo tickets must meet the design and requirements of the department. Bingo tickets may be used only by a promoter or nonprofit organization if the ticket has been approved by the department. A license for a bingo ticket manufacturer costs one thousand dollars. A manufacturer of bingo cards or electronic dabbers or site systems, a distributor, a promoter, or a nonprofit organization may not have an interest, direct or indirect, in a bingo ticket manufacturer. The bingo ticket manufacturer must maintain records as required by the department.

(4) "Promoter" means an individual, corporation, partnership, or organization licensed as a professional solicitor by the Secretary of State who is hired by a nonprofit organization to manage, operate, or conduct the licensee's bingo game. The person hired under written contract is considered the promoter.

(5) "Nonprofit organization" means an entity which is organized and operated exclusively for charitable, religious, or fraternal purposes and which is exempt from federal income taxes pursuant to Internal Revenue Code Section 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), 501(c)(7), 501(c)(8), 501(c)(10), or 501(c)(19).

(6) "Session" means a consecutive series of games which must occur only between the hours of 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. No more than one session, limited to twelve hours, may occur during the permitted fourteen-hour period. Regardless of the starting time within the permitted period, the session may not extend beyond 2:00 a.m. These limitations do not apply to games operated by state or county fairs.

(7) "Fair" means a recognized annual state or county fair. The fair must be recognized by the governing body of the county in which it is held, or in the case of the State, by the South Carolina Agricultural and Mechanical Society.

(8) "Ball" means a ball, disk, square, or other object upon which is printed a letter and number which corresponds to the letter and number of a square on a bingo card.

(9) "Cage" means a device, whether operated manually or by air blower, in which bingo balls are placed before the bingo game begins.

(10) "Caller" means the house representative who is responsible for drawing bingo balls and announcing the configuration and the result of each drawing to the players.

(11) "Drawing" means the indiscriminate selection of a single ball from the cage.

(12) "House" means the nonprofit organization and promoter licensed with the department.

(13) "Marker" means a device which indicates the number called.

(14) "Master-board" means the receptacle used by the house to display balls which are drawn during the bingo game.

(15) "Player" means one who participates in a game of bingo other than as an agent, promoter, or representative of the house.

(16) "Fund" means the Parks and Recreation Development Fund.

(17) "Building" means a structure surrounded by exterior walls or permanent firewalls.

(18) "Manufacturer" means a person who manufactures bingo cards for use in this State and who is approved by the department.

(19) "Distributor" means a person who brings or sells bingo cards in this State and who is approved by the department.

(20) "Electronic dabber" means a hand-held electronic device that allows a player to store, display, and mark bingo card faces that have been downloaded or activated as authorized by the bingo ticket. All electronic dabbers must be tested and approved by an independent testing facility to be determined by the department within forty-five days of a written request. All costs for testing are the responsibility of the manufacturer wishing to sell, lease, rent, or otherwise distribute the electronic dabber in South Carolina for the conduct of bingo. The sole and exclusive determination as to whether an electronic dabber meets the requirements of this chapter rests with the department in its sole discretion. If this determination is appealed, the promoter and nonprofit organization may not use the electronic dabber during the pendency of the appeal.

(21) "Site system" means a computer accounting system commonly referred to as a point of sale system used in conjunction with electronic dabbers. This computer software must be used at a site by an organization which allows a bingo ticket purchased from a licensed distributor to authorize the download or activation of faces into the electronic dabbers, accounts for gross proceeds, and provides accounting information on all activity for one year from the end of the quarter in which the activity occurred. All site systems and electronic dabbers must be tested and approved by an independent testing facility to be determined by the department within forty-five days of written request. All costs for testing are the responsibility of the manufacturer wishing to sell, lease, rent, or otherwise distribute the site system in South Carolina for the conduct of bingo. The sole and exclusive determination as to whether a site system meets the requirements of this chapter rests with the department in its sole discretion. If this determination is appealed, the promoter and nonprofit organization may not use the site system during the pendency of the appeal.

HISTORY: 1996 Act No. 431, Section 34.A; 1996 Act No. 449, Section 1; 2002 Act No. 334, Section 16A, eff October 1, 2002; 2004 Act No. 172, Sections 2, 3, eff August 2, 2003; 2010 Act No. 263, Section 2, eff June 11, 2010.