Sec. 5. 17 MRSA §324, first ¶, as amended by PL 1997, c. 373, §8, is further amended to read:

No Except as otherwise provided in section 314-A, no "Beano" game may be conducted at any location where any lottery or other game of chance is conducted, nor may any lottery or other game of chance be conducted during the period of one hour before the conduct of any "Beano" game at the specific location of the "Beano" game, except that the following lotteries may be conducted during the period of one hour before the conduct of "Beano" games.

Sec. 6. 17 MRSA §324, sub-§3, as amended by PL 1997, c. 373, §8, is further amended to read:

3. Lucky seven. Lucky seven or similar sealed tickets may be sold when that game of chance is licensed by the Chief of the State Police and when a valid license certificate is properly displayed. Notwithstanding the other provisions of this section and section 312, Lucky seven games may be conducted during the period beginning 2 hours before and ending 2 hours after any "Beano" game and during those times when a commercial track, as defined in Title 8, section 275-A, is licensed to accept pari-mutuel wagers.

A. Notwithstanding any other rule, Lucky seven or other similar sealed tickets may be sold that have a sale value of $1 or less.

SUMMARY

The purpose of this bill is to expand wagering opportunities at racetracks in the State. This bill accomplishes the following:

1. It authorizes the sale of pari-mutuel pools on live, simulcast or replayed horse races by commercial tracks; and

2. It authorizes the issuance to commercial tracks of licenses to conduct high-stakes beano.