Opn. No.

Hon. John Van Lindt Chairman New York State Racing and Wagering Board

Your counsel has asked whether an organization which is licensed to conduct games of chance under Article 9A of the General Municipal Law may bar admission of the general public from those games.

The Legislature enacted the Games of Chance Licensing Law in 1976 in order to implement the 1975 constitutional amendment which provided that municipalities could authorize games of chance (NY Const, Art I, §9[2]; L 1976, ch 960 [General Municipal Law, Art 9A]). The constitutional amendment made games of chance an exception to the…