Workshop explains rules for small games of chance
More than 30 people attended the Small Games of Chance Workshop Monday at the Staff Development Center in Butler.
Lt. James Jones Jr. of the state police and Butler County Treasurer Diane Marburger spoke to attendees about small games of chance licenses and regulations.
“There's a lot of misunderstanding and misinformation of the law,” Jones said. “Our goal is compliance.”
Jones said small games of chance are covered under complicated laws with specific guidelines.
“The laws, they change frequently, and they're complex,” he said. “A lot of the issues we see are just a lack of knowledge.”
Jones said people tend to use templates from other small games of chance they've seen, and they assume the rules are followed. He said one of the most common mistakes is in basket raffles.
People tend to use 50-50 tickets for their entries, but according to regulations, the entry should have much more information on it in addition to the ticket number.
One section should have detailed contact information for the participant which would be kept by the game provider.
Another piece should include a list of the prizes or a statement that makes clear that the participant in the basket raffle is able to win any of the prizes they enter. The statement is simple, but until the rules change, it makes a difference, according to Jones.
Jones walked the group through a PowerPoint presentation, also available on the state police website, and answered many questions.
Janna Enik of Butler Health System Foundation said she had a fairly good understanding of the regulations, but it was good to reinforce their knowledge and verify the integrity of their own games.
“The reason we came is because we want to make sure everything we're doing is correct and fair and benefiting all of our donors,” she said.
Enik said the setting worked well, and the many questions from the audience helped personalize the examples and give different perspectives.
“Listening to other people ask questions, it brings up questions you didn't think to ask,” she said.
Royce Lorentz, who serves on Slippery Rock Borough Council and assists many organizations, said he saw a lot of new information, and the specificity of the laws surprised him.
“Creating awareness is what today is all about,” Lorentz said. “These regulations are just not simple to look through.”
Lorentz said the presentation opened his eyes to many common misunderstandings, and that Marburger and Jones thought of first when a question about small games of chance arises. He said they are valuable resources.
“I feel uncomfortable that I don't know enough, but comfortable in the fact that I have sources,” he said.
Jones said in the past, people didn't want to call and check if they were doing things correctly because they didn't want to put themselves on the police's radar. He said he has tried to encourage people to disregard this fear by working with people and forming relationships.
“People had a fear of calling and asking questions,” he said. “We want you to call us. We want you to reach out.”
Jones said he is always willing to work with people who are trying to do the right thing.
“We've really made inroads in culling that perception,” he said.
Jones said this group was particularly sharp and followed the presentation well. He said many seemed interested in improving their games or making a connection with him as a resource.
“I like it when we get a lot of questions and have discussion,” he said. “This particular group asked very intelligent questions.”
