1. U.S. Code
  2. title 18
  3. part I
  4. chapter 61
  5. § 1302

Collapse to view only § 1302. Mailing lottery tickets or related matter

§ 1301. Importing or transporting lottery tickets

Whoever brings into the United States for the purpose of disposing of the same, or knowingly deposits with any express company or other common carrier for carriage, or carries in interstate or foreign commerce any paper, certificate, or instrument purporting to be or to represent a ticket, chance, share, or interest in or dependent upon the event of a lottery, gift enterprise, or similar scheme, offering prizes dependent in whole or in part upon lot or chance, or any advertisement of, or list of the prizes drawn or awarded by means of, any such lottery, gift enterprise, or similar scheme; or, being engaged in the business of procuring for a person in 1 State such a ticket, chance, share, or interest in a lottery, gift,1

1 So in original. The comma probably should not appear.
enterprise or similar scheme conducted by another State (unless that business is permitted under an agreement between the States in question or appropriate authorities of those States), knowingly transmits in interstate or foreign commerce information to be used for the purpose of procuring such a ticket, chance, share, or interest; or knowingly takes or receives any such paper, certificate, instrument, advertisement, or list so brought, deposited, or transported, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both.

(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 762; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXII, § 320905, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(H), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2126, 2147.)

CITE AS: 18 USC 1301

§ 1302. Mailing lottery tickets or related matter

Whoever knowingly deposits in the mail, or sends or delivers by mail:

Any letter, package, postal card, or circular concerning any lottery, gift enterprise, or similar scheme offering prizes dependent in whole or in part upon lot or chance;

Any lottery ticket or part thereof, or paper, certificate, or instrument purporting to be or to represent a ticket, chance, share, or interest in or dependent upon the event of a lottery, gift enterprise, or similar scheme offering prizes dependent in whole or in part upon lot or chance;

Any check, draft, bill, money, postal note, or money order, for the purchase of any ticket or part thereof, or of any share or chance in any such lottery, gift enterprise, or scheme;

Any newspaper, circular, pamphlet, or publication of any kind containing any advertisement of any lottery, gift enterprise, or scheme of any kind offering prizes dependent in whole or in part upon lot or chance, or containing any list of the prizes drawn or awarded by means of any such lottery, gift enterprise, or scheme, whether said list contains any part or all of such prizes;

Any article described in section 1953 of this title—

Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both; and for any subsequent offense shall be imprisoned not more than five years.

(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 762; Oct. 31, 1951, ch. 655, § 29, 65 Stat. 721; Pub. L. 87–218, § 2, Sept. 13, 1961, 75 Stat. 492; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(H), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147.)

CITE AS: 18 USC 1302

§ 1303. Postmaster or employee as lottery agent 1
1 Section catchline was not amended to conform to change made in the text by Pub. L. 91–375.

Whoever, being an officer or employee of the Postal Service, acts as agent for any lottery office, or under color of purchase or otherwise, vends lottery tickets, or knowingly sends by mail or delivers any letter, package, postal card, circular, or pamphlet advertising any lottery, gift enterprise, or similar scheme, offering prizes dependent in whole or in part upon lot or chance, or any ticket, certificate, or instrument representing any chance, share, or interest in or dependent upon the event of any lottery, gift enterprise, or similar scheme offering prizes dependent in whole or in part upon lot or chance, or any list of the prizes awarded by means of any such scheme, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.

(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 763; Pub. L. 91–375, § 6(j)(10), Aug. 12, 1970, 84 Stat. 778; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(B), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2146.)

CITE AS: 18 USC 1303

§ 1304. Broadcasting lottery information

Whoever broadcasts by means of any radio or television station for which a license is required by any law of the United States, or whoever, operating any such station, knowingly permits the broadcasting of, any advertisement of or information concerning any lottery, gift enterprise, or similar scheme, offering prizes dependent in whole or in part upon lot or chance, or any list of the prizes drawn or awarded by means of any such lottery, gift enterprise, or scheme, whether said list contains any part or all of such prizes, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.

Each day’s broadcasting shall constitute a separate offense.

(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 763; Pub. L. 100–625, § 3(a)(4), Nov. 7, 1988, 102 Stat. 3206; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(H), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147.)

CITE AS: 18 USC 1304

§ 1305. Fishing contests

The provisions of this chapter shall not apply with respect to any fishing contest not conducted for profit wherein prizes are awarded for the specie, size, weight, or quality of fish caught by contestants in any bona fide fishing or recreational event.

(Added Aug. 16, 1950, ch. 722, § 1, 64 Stat. 451.)

CITE AS: 18 USC 1305

§ 1306. Participation by financial institutions

Whoever knowingly violates section 5136A 

(Added Pub. L. 90–203, § 5(a), Dec. 15, 1967, 81 Stat. 611; amended Pub. L. 101–73, title IX, § 962(b), Aug. 9, 1989, 103 Stat. 502; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(H), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147.)

CITE AS: 18 USC 1306

§ 1307. Exceptions relating to certain advertisements and other information and to State-conducted lotteries
(a) The provisions of sections 1301, 1302, 1303, and 1304 shall not apply to—
(1) an advertisement, list of prizes, or other information concerning a lottery conducted by a State acting under the authority of State law which is—
(A) contained in a publication published in that State or in a State which conducts such a lottery; or
(B) broadcast by a radio or television station licensed to a location in that State or a State which conducts such a lottery; or
(2) an advertisement, list of prizes, or other information concerning a lottery, gift enterprise, or similar scheme, other than one described in paragraph (1), that is authorized or not otherwise prohibited by the State in which it is conducted and which is—
(A) conducted by a not-for-profit organization or a governmental organization; or
(B) conducted as a promotional activity by a commercial organization and is clearly occasional and ancillary to the primary business of that organization.
(b) The provisions of sections 1301, 1302, and 1303 shall not apply to the transportation or mailing—
(1) to addresses within a State of equipment, tickets, or material concerning a lottery which is conducted by that State acting under the authority of State law; or
(2) to an addressee within a foreign country of equipment, tickets, or material designed to be used within that foreign country in a lottery which is authorized by the law of that foreign country.
(c) For the purposes of this section (1) “State” means a State of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or any territory or possession of the United States; and (2) “foreign country” means any empire, country, dominion, colony, or protectorate, or any subdivision thereof (other than the United States, its territories or possessions).
(d) For the purposes of subsection (b) of this section “lottery” means the pooling of proceeds derived from the sale of tickets or chances and allotting those proceeds or parts thereof by chance to one or more chance takers or ticket purchasers. “Lottery” does not include the placing or accepting of bets or wagers on sporting events or contests. For purposes of this section, the term a “not-for-profit organization” means any organization that would qualify as tax exempt under section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986.
(Added Pub. L. 93–583, § 1, Jan. 2, 1975, 88 Stat. 1916; amended Pub. L. 94–525, § 1, Oct. 17, 1976, 90 Stat. 2478; Pub. L. 96–90, § 1, Oct. 23, 1979, 93 Stat. 698; Pub. L. 100–625, §§ 2(a), (b), 3(a)(1), (3), Nov. 7, 1988, 102 Stat. 3205, 3206.)

CITE AS: 18 USC 1307

§ 1308. Limitation of applicability
(a)Limitation of Applicability.—Sections 1301, 1302, 1303, 1304, and 1306 shall not apply—
(1) to a savings promotion raffle conducted by an insured depository institution or an insured credit union; or
(2) to any activity conducted in connection with any such savings promotion raffle, including, without limitation, to the—
(A) transmission of any advertisement, list of prizes, or other information concerning the savings promotion raffle;
(B) offering, facilitation, and acceptance of deposits, withdrawals, or other transactions in connection with the savings promotion raffle;
(C) transmission of any information relating to the savings promotion raffle, including account balance and transaction information; and
(D) deposit or transmission of prizes awarded in the savings promotion raffle as well as notification or publication thereof.
(b)Definitions.—In this section—
(1) the term “insured credit union” shall have the meaning given the term in section 101 of the Federal Credit Union Act (12 U.S.C. 1752);
(2) the term “insured depository institution” shall have the meaning given the term in section 3 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 1813); and
(3) the term “savings promotion raffle” means a contest in which the sole consideration required for a chance of winning designated prizes is obtained by the deposit of a specified amount of money in a savings account or other savings program, where each ticket or entry has an equal chance of being drawn, such contest being subject to regulations that may from time to time be promulgated by the appropriate prudential regulator (as defined in section 1002 of the Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 (12 U.S.C. 5481)).
(Added Pub. L. 113–251, § 4(a), Dec. 18, 2014, 128 Stat. 2890.)

CITE AS: 18 USC 1308