CHAPTER 19:02
LOTTERIES AND BETTING

ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS

    SECTION

PART I
Preliminary

    1.    Short title

    2.    Interpretation

PART II
Lotteries

    3.    Lotteries deemed lawful

    4.    Conditions to be observed in promotion of and conduct of lottery

    5.    Penalties

    6.    Returns to be made by promoters

PART III
Games of Chance

    7.    Certain games of chance not unlawful

    8.    Returns to be made by the promoters

PART IV
Totalizator Control

    9.    Delegation

    10.    Use of unlicensed totalizator an offence

    11.    Lottery conducted on totalizator not unlawful

    12.    Licensing of totalizator

    13.    Totalizator transactions to be recorded

    14.    Persons under 18 years may not use totalizator

    15.    Limiting commission and prescribing tax

    16.    Act does not validate betting transactions

    17.    Police powers of entry and inspection

    18.    Penalties

PART V
Gaming and Betting

    19.    Gaming houses

    20.    Gaming machines

    21.    Betting houses

    22.    Lotteries

    23.    Keeper of premises defined

PART VI
Miscellaneous

    24.    Regulations

    25.    Declaration of a race

Law 28, 1961,
Law 2, 1963,
Law 3, 1963,
L.N. 55, 1965,
L.N. 84, 1966,
L.N. 94, 1966,
Act 5, 1967,
Act 1, 1980,
Act 25, 1980,
Act 6, 1981,
Act 6, 1983,
Act 15, 1983.

An Act to consolidate the enactments relating to lotteries, betting and gaming and matters connected therewith.

[Date of Commencement: 8th May, 1962]

PART I
Preliminary (ss 1-2)

1.    Short title

    This Act may be cited as the Lotteries and Betting Act.

2.    Interpretation

    In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires—

    "horse" includes any pony, galloway or donkey;

    "race" means any foot-race, horse race, dog-race, cycle race, motor-race or boat-race and any other race declared under section 25 to be a race;

    "race-club" means any club or association of persons promoting and controlling racing;

    "race-course" means the place at which a race is or is to be held;

    "Registrar" has the meaning assigned to it in the Societies Act (Cap. 18:01);

    "society" means any society registered or exempted under the Societies Act;

    "totalizator" means the contrivance for betting known as the totalizator or any other machine or instrument of betting of a like nature, whether mechanically operated or not.

PART II
Lotteries (ss 3-6)

3.    Lotteries deemed lawful

    (1) A lottery shall be deemed to be lawful if it is promoted on behalf of—

    (a)    a society; or

    (b)    an institution or organisation prescribed as a charitable institution,

and is promoted and conducted in accordance with the provisions of section 4.

    (2) Regulations may prescribe such institutions or organisations which are considered to be charitable institutions or organisations for the purposes of this Act.

4.    Conditions to be observed in promotion of and conduct of lottery

    The following conditions shall for the purposes of section 3 be observed in the promotion and conduct of a lottery—

    (a)    the promoter of the lottery shall be a member of the society authorised in writing by the governing body of the society to act as such;

    (b)    no remuneration shall be paid in respect of the lottery to the promoter, or to any person employed by him in connection therewith;

    (c)    no ticket or chance shall be sold at a price exceeding P2;

    (d)    the whole proceeds, after deducting sums lawfully appropriated on account of expenses or for the provisions of prizes, shall be applied to the purposes of the society;