NY State Senate Bill 2025-S5614

Senate Bill S5614

2025-2026 Legislative Session

Removes restrictions on the frequency certain authorized organizations may conduct bingo games

download bill text pdf

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Racing, Gaming And Wagering Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Feb 25, 2025	referred to racing, gaming and wagering

2025-S5614 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A3681
Current Committee:: Senate Racing, Gaming And Wagering
Law Section:: General Municipal Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §495-a, Gen Muni L
Versions Introduced in 2023-2024 Legislative Session:: A10069

2025-S5614 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Removes restrictions on the frequency certain authorized organizations may conduct bingo games.

2025-S5614 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S5614

SPONSOR: ADDABBO
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the general municipal law, in relation to removing
restrictions on the frequency certain authorized organizations may
conduct bingo games

 
PURPOSE:

Modifies the restrictions on how often a senior center, church or other
similar organization can hold recreational bingo games.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 of this bill amends General Municipal Law § 495-a(2)(1)(13)
and (C) to change the restriction that certain groups can only hold
recreational bingo games from once a week, or 30 times in one year to
twice a week, or 60 times in one year.

Section 2 of this bill provides the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Assisted living and senior residences often hold recreational bingo
games for the amusement of their residents. Participants do not have to
pay to play, and, by law, the individual prizes must be worth under ten
dollars, or a total of one hundred fifty dollars on any calendar day.
Prizes are usually low-cost household necessities, like paper towels or
small packages of toilet paper. Many seniors enjoy bingo and would like
to be able to play more than once a week, or 30 days a year.This form of
bingo is not gambling, since the participants do not have a financial
stake in the game and receive only a nominal prize. The bill would
remove the artificial and unnecessary restriction on the number of days
a group can hold a recreational bingo game and allow them to decide how
often to play bingo based on the interest of their participants.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

N/A

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

There is no fiscal impact on the State or local governments.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have
become a law.

2025-S5614 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   5614
 
                        2025-2026 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             February 25, 2025
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen. ADDABBO -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Racing, Gaming and  Wager-
   ing
 
 AN  ACT  to  amend  the  general  municipal law, in relation to removing
   restrictions on the frequency  certain  authorized  organizations  may
   conduct bingo games

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Clauses (B) and (C) of subparagraph (i) of paragraph (b) of
 subdivision 2 of section 495-a of the general municipal law, as  amended
 by chapter 470 of the laws of 2019, are amended to read as follows:
   (B)  within any apartment, condominium or cooperative complex, retire-
 ment community, or other group residential complex or facility where (I)
 sponsored by the operator of or an association related to such  complex,
 community  or  facility,  (II)  such  games are conducted solely for the
 purpose of amusement and recreation of its residents, (III) no player or
 other person furnishes anything of value for the opportunity to  partic-
 ipate, (IV) the value of the prizes shall not exceed ten dollars for any
 one  game  or  a total of one hundred fifty dollars in any calendar day,
 (V) such games are not conducted on more than [one  day]  TWO  DAYS  per
 week  and  not  more than [thirty] SIXTY times during any calendar year,
 and (VI) no person other than an employee or volunteer of such  complex,
 community  or  facility  conducts  or  assists in conducting the game or
 games.
   (C) on behalf of any bona fide social, charitable, educational, recre-
 ational, fraternal, religious, not-for-profit or age group organization,
 club or association solely for the purpose of amusement  and  recreation
 of  its  members  or  beneficiaries  where (I) no player or other person
 furnishes anything of value for the opportunity to participate, (II) the
 value of the prizes shall not exceed ten dollars for any one game  or  a
 total of one hundred fifty dollars in any calendar day, (III) such games
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD07330-03-5

 S. 5614                             2
 
 are  not conducted on more than [one day] TWO DAYS per week and not more
 than [thirty] SIXTY times during any calendar year, (IV) no person other
 than a bona fide active member of the organization, club or  association
 participates  in the conduct of the games, and (V) no person is paid for
 conducting or assisting in the conduct of the game or games.
   § 2. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day  after  it  shall
 have become a law.

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