The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Office of the Attorney General
One Ashburton Place
Boston, Massachusetts 02108

								        		 (617) 727-2200
							           	     	            www.mass.gov/ago

Checklist for a Municipality
Issuing a Poker Tournament Permit
Step One - Application Information
•	The application includes the name and address of the organization.
 
•	The organization is a veterans’ organization, church or religious organization, fraternal or fraternal benefit society, educational or charitable organization, civic or service club, or other organization operated exclusively for nonprofit purposes.  (You may ask the organization to provide evidence of its nonprofit status.) 

•	The organization has been actively functioning in the Commonwealth for at least the past two years.
  
•	The application includes the names of three officers or members of the organization responsible for the event, two of whom have been officers or members in good standing for at least the past three months and one of whom has been an officer or member in good standing for at least the past two years.
 
•	The application states how the net proceeds from the event will be used (limited to educational, charitable, religious, fraternal or civic purposes, or for veterans’ benefits).
Step Two - Additional Requirements
•	The event is being held in the city or town that is issuing the permit.
 
•	The organization has not held more than three bazaars in a single calendar year.
 
•	The organization is not holding beano/bingo or any other event on the day of the bazaar (excluding a raffle, which may be held simultaneously with a bazaar).
 
•	The event does not last more than five hours. 

•	The organization has not had a raffle/bazaar permit revoked for a Massachusetts General Laws (M.G.L.), Chapter 271, Section 7A, violation occurring within the past three years.
 
•	The organization will have a uniformed police officer from the city or town where the event is held present during the tournament.
 
Step Three - Approval Process
•	Upon the filing of an application, the clerk of the city or town in which the tournament will be held must determine that the application is in conformity with Section 7A of Chapter 271.
 
•	The clerk may require the applicant to produce a current list of its membership by name, address, telephone number and a description of the type and length of membership of each person in the organization.
 
•	If in conformity with Section 7A, the clerk forwards the application to the municipality’s police chief for determination that the applicant is qualified to operate such a tournament.  (A police department may not run CORI checks in connection with the application process, without express authorization from the Criminal History Systems Board.)
 
•	If the police chief determines that the applicant is qualified, the chief endorses the application and returns it to the clerk. 

•	The clerk issues a permit valid for one year from the date of issuance.
 
•	The clerk retains one copy of the approved application, and forwards a second copy of the approved application to the Commissioner of Public Safety. 

•	The clerk forwards a notice of issuance to the Lottery Commission.
Step Four - Reporting Process
•	Within thirty days after the expiration of the permit, the organization must file two copies of a financial report with the clerk.  

•	The financial report shall set forth the number of raffles and bazaars held, the amount of money received, the expenses incurred, the names of the winners of prizes exceeding $25 in value, net proceeds, and the uses to which the net proceeds were applied. 

•	The financial report must be certified by the three members who are responsible for the event and an accountant. 
 
•	The clerk keeps one copy of the financial report and forwards the other copy to the Commissioner of Public Safety.
 
Step Five - Denial/Revocation Process
•	If the clerk determines that the application is not in conformity with the requirements of Section 7A of Chapter 271, the clerk shall deny the application.
 
•	If the police chief determines that the applicant is not qualified to operate a poker tournament, the police chief shall report that determination to the clerk, and the clerk shall deny the application.
 
•	An application to renew a permit may be denied if the organization fails to file the required financial report. 

•	If a permit was issued based on inaccurate information and a change in the facts of an event make it illegal, the clerk may revoke the permit.
  
•	At any point after being issued, the permit may be revoked for any violation of Section 7A of Chapter 271.  A new permit cannot be issued for three years after the violation.
Step Six - Appeals Process
•	If an application is not acted upon within thirty days, or is denied, or is revoked for any reason other than a violation of section 7A, any person named on the application has ten days to petition for review in the district court having jurisdiction over the city or town in which the application was filed. 

•	The judge may direct that the permit be issued if there were no reasonable grounds for refusing such permit. 

•	If a permit is revoked because of a violation of Section 7A, any person aggrieved by the action may file an appeal in the relevant district court within twenty days following receipt of notification of the revocation. 
Please see the Attorney General’s Advisory on Poker Tournaments, available at: www.mass.gov/ago in the section on Nonprofits & Charities, for additional information.