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238.535 Licensing of charitable organizations conducting charitable gaming -Exemptions -- Qualifications.
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
Any charitable organization conducting charitable gaming in the Commonwealth of
Kentucky shall be licensed by the department. A charitable organization qualifying
under subsection (12) of this section but not exceeding the limitations provided in
this subsection shall be exempt from the licensure requirements when conducting
the following charitable gaming activities:
(a) Bingo in which the gross receipts do not exceed a total of twenty-five
thousand dollars ($25,000) per year;
(b) A raffle or raffles for which the gross receipts do not exceed twenty-five
thousand dollars ($25,000) per year; and
(c) A charity fundraising event or events that do not involve special limited
charitable games and the gross gaming receipts for which do not exceed
twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) per year.
However, at no time shall a charitable organization's total limitations under this
subsection exceed twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000).
(a) Any charitable organization exempt from the process of applying for a license
under subsection (1) of this section, shall notify the department in writing, on
a simple form issued by the department, of its intent to engage in exempt
charitable gaming and the address at which the gaming is to occur. Any
charitable organization exempt from the process of applying for a license
under subsection (1) of this section, shall comply with all other provisions of
this chapter relating to the conduct of charitable gaming, except:
1.
Payment of the fee imposed under the provisions of KRS 238.570; and
2.
The quarterly reporting requirements imposed under the provisions of
KRS 238.550(7), unless the exempt charitable organization obtains a
retroactive license pursuant to subsection (9) of this section.
(b) Before January 31 of the year immediately following the year of exemption, a
charitable organization exempt from licensure under the provisions of
subsection (1) of this section shall file a financial report with the department,
on a form issued by the department, that contains the following information:
1.
The type of gaming activity in which it engaged during that year;
2.
The total gross receipts derived from gaming;
3.
The amount of charitable gaming expenses paid;
4.
The amount of net receipts derived; and
5.
The disposition of those net receipts.
An exemption that has been granted to a charitable organization for the preceding
calendar year shall be automatically renewed on January 1 of the following year.
If upon receipt of the financial report the department determines that the
information appearing on the financial report renders the charitable organization
ineligible to possess an exemption, the department shall notify the charitable
organization that its exemption is rescinded. The organization may request an
appeal of this rescission pursuant to KRS 238.565.
(5) If the annual financial report is not received by January 31, the exemption is
automatically rescinded unless an extension of no more than thirty (30) days is
granted by the department. The organization may request an appeal of this
rescission pursuant to KRS 238.565.
(6) If an exemption is revoked because an organization has exceeded the limit imposed
in subsection (1) of this section, the organization shall apply for a retroactive license
in accordance with subsection (7) of this section.
(7) If an organization exceeds the limit imposed by any subsection of this section it
shall:
(a) Report the amount to the department; and
(b) Apply for a retroactive charitable gaming license.
(8) Upon receipt of a report and application for a retroactive charitable gaming license,
the department shall investigate to determine if the organization is otherwise
qualified to hold the license.
(9) If the department determines that the applicant is qualified, it shall issue a charitable
gaming license retroactive to the date on which the exemption limit was exceeded.
The retroactive charitable gaming license shall be issued in the same manner as
regular charitable gaming licenses.
(10) If the department determines that the applicant is not qualified it shall deny the
license and take enforcement action, if appropriate.
(11) Once a retroactive or regular gaming license is issued to an organization, that
organization shall not be eligible for exempt status in the future and shall maintain a
charitable gaming license if it intends to continue charitable gaming activities,
unless the charitable organization has not exceeded the exemption limitations of
subsection (1) of this section for a period of two (2) years prior to its exemption
request.
(12) (a) In order to qualify for licensure, a charitable organization shall:
1.
a.
Possess a tax exempt status under 26 U.S.C. secs. 501(c)(3),
501(c)(4), 501(c)(8), 501(c)(10), or 501(c)(19), or be covered
under a group ruling issued by the Internal Revenue Service under
authority of those sections; or
b.
Be organized within the Commonwealth of Kentucky as a
common school as defined in KRS 158.030, as an institution of
higher education as defined in KRS 164A.305, or as a state college
or university as provided for in KRS 164.290;
2.
Have been established and continuously operating within the
Commonwealth of Kentucky for charitable purposes, other than the
conduct of charitable gaming, for a period of three (3) years prior to
application for licensure. For purposes of this paragraph, an applicant
shall demonstrate establishment and continuous operation in Kentucky
by its conduct of charitable activities from an office physically located
within Kentucky both during the three (3) years immediately preceding
3.
4.
(b)
1.
its application for licensure and at all times during which it possesses a
charitable gaming license. However, a charitable organization that
operates for charitable purposes in more than ten (10) states and whose
principal place of business is physically located in a state other than
Kentucky may satisfy the requirements of this paragraph if it can
document that it has:
a.
Been actively engaged in charitable activities and has made
reasonable progress, as defined in subparagraph 3. of this
paragraph, in the conduct of charitable activities or the expenditure
of funds within Kentucky for a period of three (3) years prior to
application for licensure; and
b.
Operated for charitable purposes from an office or place of
business in the Kentucky county where it proposes to conduct
charitable gaming for at least one (1) year prior to application for
licensure, in accordance with subparagraph 4. of this paragraph
and paragraph (c) of this subsection;
Have been actively engaged in charitable activities during the three (3)
years immediately prior to application for licensure and be able to
demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the department, reasonable progress in
accomplishing its charitable purposes during this period. As used in this
paragraph, "reasonable progress in accomplishing its charitable
purposes" means the regular and uninterrupted conduct of activities
within the Commonwealth or the expenditure of funds within the
Commonwealth to accomplish relief of poverty, advancement of
education, protection of health, relief from disease, relief from suffering
or distress, protection of the environment, conservation of wildlife,
advancement of civic, governmental, or municipal purposes, or
advancement of those purposes delineated in KRS 238.505(3). In order
to demonstrate reasonable progress in accomplishing its charitable
purposes when applying to renew an existing license, a licensed
charitable organization shall additionally provide to the department a
detailed accounting regarding its expenditure of charitable gaming net
receipts for the purposes described in this paragraph; and
Have maintained an office or place of business, other than for the
conduct of charitable gaming, for at least one (1) year in the county in
which charitable gaming is to be conducted. The office or place of
business shall be a separate and distinct address and location from that
of any other licensee of the Department of Charitable Gaming; except
that up to three (3) licensed charitable organizations may have the same
address if they legitimately share office space.
A charitable organization that has established and maintained an office
or place of business in the county for a period of at least one (1) year
may hold a raffle drawing or a charity fundraising event, including
special limited charity fundraising events, in a Kentucky county other
than that in which the organization's office or place of business is
located.
2.
For raffles, the organization shall notify the Department of Charitable
Gaming in writing of the organization's intent to change the drawing's
location at least thirty (30) days before the drawing takes place. This
written notification:
a.
May be transmitted in any commercially reasonable means,
authorized by the department, including facsimile and electronic
mail; and
b.
Shall set out the place and the county in which the drawing will
take place.
Approval by the department shall be received prior to the conduct of the
raffle drawing at the new location.
(c) Any charitable organization that was registered with the county clerk to
conduct charitable gaming in a county on or before March 31, 1992, shall
satisfy the requirement contained in paragraph (a)4. of this subsection if it
maintained a place of business or operation, other than for the conduct of
charitable gaming, for one (1) year prior to application in a Kentucky county
adjoining the county in which they were registered.
(13) In applying for a license, the information to be submitted shall include but not be
limited to the following:
(a) The name and address of the charitable organization;
(b) The date of the charitable organization's establishment in the Commonwealth
of Kentucky and the date of establishment in the county or counties in which
charitable gaming is to be conducted;
(c) A statement of the charitable purpose or purposes for which the organization
was organized. If the charitable organization is incorporated, a copy of the
articles of incorporation shall satisfy this requirement;
(d) A statement explaining the organizational structure and management of the
organization. For incorporated entities, a copy of the organizations' bylaws
shall satisfy this requirement;
(e) A detailed accounting of the charitable activities in which the charitable
organization has been engaged for the three (3) years preceding application for
licensure;
(f) The names, addresses, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers of all
officers of the organization;
(g) The names, addresses, dates of birth, and Social Security numbers of all
employees and members of the charitable organization who will be involved
in the management and supervision of charitable gaming. No fewer than two
(2) employees or members of the charitable organization who are involved in
the management and supervision of charitable gaming, along with the chief
executive officer or the director of the applicant organization, shall be
designated as chairpersons;
(h)
(14)
(15)
(16)
(17)
The address of the location at which charitable gaming will be conducted and
the name and address of the owner of the property, if it is owned by a person
other than the charitable organization;
(i) A copy of the letter or other legal document issued by the Internal Revenue
Service to grant tax-exempt status;
(j) A statement signed by the presiding or other responsible officer of the
charitable organization attesting that the information submitted in the
application is true and correct and that the organization agrees to comply with
all applicable laws and administrative regulations regarding charitable
gaming;
(k) An agreement that the charitable organization's records may be released by the
Federal Internal Revenue Service to the department; and
(l) Any other information the department deems appropriate.
An organization or a group of individuals that does not meet the licensing
requirements of subsection (12) of this section may hold a raffle if the gross receipts
do not exceed one hundred fifty dollars ($150) and all proceeds from the raffle are
distributed to a charitable organization. The organization or group of individuals
may hold up to three (3) raffles each year, and shall be exempt from complying with
the notification, application, and reporting requirements of subsections (2) and (13)
of this section.
The department may issue a license for a specified period of time, based on the type
of charitable gaming involved and the desired duration of the activity.
The department shall charge a fee for each license issued and renewed, not to
exceed three hundred dollars ($300). Specific fees to be charged shall be prescribed
in a graduated scale promulgated by administrative regulations and based on type of
license, type of charitable gaming, actual or projected gross receipts, or other
applicable factors, or combination of factors.
(a) A licensed charitable organization may place its charitable gaming license in
escrow if:
1.
The licensee notifies the department in writing that it desires to place its
license in escrow; and
2.
The license is in good standing and the department has not initiated
disciplinary action against the licensee.
(b) During the escrow period, the licensee shall not engage in charitable gaming,
and the escrow period shall not be included in calculating the licensee's
retention rate under KRS 238.536.
(c) A charitable organization may apply for reinstatement of its active license and
the license shall be reinstated provided:
1.
The charitable organization continues to qualify for licensure;
2.
The charitable organization has not engaged in charitable gaming during
the escrow period; and
3.
The charitable organization pays a reinstatement fee established by the
department.
Effective: June 24, 2015
History: Amended 2015 Ky. Acts ch. 45, sec. 2, effective June 24, 2015; and ch. 59,
sec. 2, effective June 24, 2015. -- Amended 2010 Ky. Acts ch. 24, sec. 540, effective
July 15, 2010. -- Amended 2007 Ky. Acts ch. 120, sec. 7, effective June 26, 2007. -Amended 2002 Ky. Acts ch. 346, sec. 238, effective July 15, 2002. -- Amended 2000
Ky. Acts ch. 165, sec. 1, effective July 14, 2000; ch. 374, sec. 8, effective July 14,
2000. -- Amended 1998 Ky. Acts ch. 232, sec. 6, effective April 1, 1998; and ch.
434, sec. 4, effective July 15, 1998. -- Amended 1996 Ky. Acts ch. 331, sec. 7,
effective April 10, 1996. -- Created 1994 Ky. Acts ch. 66, sec. 8, effective March 16,
1994.
Legislative Research Commission Note (6/24/2015). This statute was amended by 2015
Ky. Acts chs. 45 and 59, which do not appear to be in conflict and have been codified
together.
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