H 4137

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
Bill 4137
Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter
(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)
Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter
Amended
May 1, 2025
H. 4137
Introduced by Reps. B. J. Cox, Caskey, T. Moore,
B. L. Cox, Wooten and Bustos
S. Printed 5/1/25--H.  [SEC
5/5/2025 10:24 AM]
Read the first time March 5, 2025
________
A bill
TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING
SECTION 12-21-3920, RELATING TO BINGO TAX ACT DEFINITIONS, SO AS TO ADD THE
DEFINITIONS OF "VETERANS' TRUST FUND" AND "VETERANS' ORGANIZATION"; BY AMENDING
SECTION 12-21-4020, RELATING TO CLASSES OF BINGO LICENSES, SO AS TO ADD A CLASS
G LICENSE FOR VETERANS' ORGANIZATIONS; BY AMENDING SECTION 12-21-4030, RELATING
TO ENTRANCE FEE SURCHARGES, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT A CLASS G LICENSE HOLDER MAY
IMPOSE A CERTAIN ENTRANCE FEE; BY AMENDING SECTION 12-21-4070, RELATING TO
DOMICILES REQUIRED FOR LICENSE, SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT AN INDIVIDUAL MUST BE
DOMICILED IN THIS STATE FOR A CERTAIN PERIOD BEFORE APPLYING FOR A LICENSE; AND
BY AMENDING SECTION 12-21-4190, RELATING TO BINGO CARD CHARGES, SO AS TO
PROVIDE THAT THE DEPARTMENT SHALL CHARGE AND RETAIN CERTAIN FEES.
    Amend Title To Conform
Be it enacted by the
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
SECTION 1.  Section 12-21-3920 of the S.C. Code is amended by
adding:
    (22) "Veterans' Trust Fund" means
the fund established in Section 25-21-10.
    (23)
"Veteran's organization" means any individual post or state headquarters of a
national veteran's association or an auxiliary unit of any individual post of a
national veteran's association, which post, state headquarters, or auxiliary
unit is incorporated as a nonprofit corporation and either has received a
letter from the state headquarters of the national veteran's association
indicating that the individual post or auxiliary unit is in good standing with
the national veteran's association or has received a letter from the national
veteran's association indicating that the state headquarters is in good
standing with the national veteran's association. As used in this item,
"national veteran's association" means any veteran's association that has been
in continuous existence as such for a period of at least five years and either
is incorporated by an act of the United States Congress or has a national
dues-paying membership of at least five thousand persons.
    (24)
"American Heroes Bingo" or "game" means a specific game of chance, commonly
known as bingo, in which prizes are awarded based on designated numbers or
symbols on an electronic card conforming to numbers or symbols selected at
random. American Heroes Bingo uses a caller to draw balls from a cage. A new
drawing of bingo balls is to be drawn daily or once the game-ending pattern is
called. The caller or automatic aid inputs the resulting ball draw sequence
into a location-based server via electronic interface. The player then utilizes
an electronic bingo aid to purchase, play, and daub electronic cards based on
the outcome of the ball draw sequence. The electronic bingo aid then
communicates to the player using various stimuli of visual and audial queues if
the electronic card has accurately achieved a preannounced configuration match.
    (25)
"Electronic card" means a nonprinted design, which may include an electronic
representation on which there are arranged five horizontal rows and five
vertical columns forming twenty-five squares. Numbers are printed in
twenty-five of the squares. The five columns are denominated from left to right
and must be a minimum of one-half inch by one-half inch.
    (26)
"Location-based server" means a computer server that is physically located on
the licensed premises of the veteran's organization. The location-based server
is used in connection with the electronic bingo aids to accurately identify
instances of preannounced configuration matches and nonmatches. The
location-based server is not connected to any other location-based server.
    (27)
"Electronic bingo aids" means an electronic device used in connection with a
location-based server that will identify, display, and communicate bingo
outcomes accurately via automatic electronic daub. The electronic bingo aid may
be equipped with currency and voucher equipment which allows for additional
purchases of electronic cards and provides for a voucher or other medium
considered to be appropriate to redeem prizes won in the bingo game via a
medium from the electronic bingo aid. The location-based server maintains track
of the player's credit balance, while the electronic bingo aid displays the
same information. The electronic bingo aid must show an electronic
representation of the bingo card on screen while the player is using the
device. Electronic bingo aids are excluded from the definitions included in
Chapter 21, Title 12 and Chapter 19, Title 16.
    (28)
"Net hold" means the total revenue, coin, currency, tickets, or equivalent
placed into the electronic bingo aids or otherwise paid by players, less any
prizes paid out to players.
    (29)
"Vendor" means any individual, firm, association, limited liability company, or
corporation that was a resident of, or domiciled in this State for a period of
two years or more before January 1, 2026, that provides electronic bingo aids
to a veteran's organization
SECTION 2.  Section 12-21-4020 of the S.C. Code is amended by
adding:
    (7)(a) CLASS G: A veteran's organization
operating an American Heroes Bingo game offering prizes, which do not exceed fifty
thousand dollars per game, shall obtain a Class G bingo license at a cost of
one thousand dollars. The holder of a Class G license may not conduct more than
six bingo sessions a week.
  (b)
Not withstanding anything in this article to the contrary, American Heroes
Bingo must be played in the following manner, and the following procedures
apply to the conduct of the game:
  (i)
American Heroes Bingo is played by a player and a caller, the latter of which
is associated with the veteran's organization. Each player may pay face value
for each electronic card to be played during a game and may purchase additional
electronic cards during the course of a session.
  (ii) Before each game begins, the
potential winning patterns are available to view by the players of the
configuration or configurations that will win the game. A configuration
consists of a number of grids covered in the manner and sequence announced by the
caller. Any method of playing the game is allowed if the method is shown before
each game's beginning and prominently displayed in the facility. The
configuration or configurations must be prominently visible on the electronic
bingo aids.
  (iii) The caller shall draw and
announce numbers from the cage one at a time. After the number is announced, it
must be prominently displayed on the master board and on the electronic bingo
aids.
  (iv) A player then uses an
electronic bingo aid to purchase electronic cards, participate in the game via
electronic daub, and redeem prizes. The electronic bingo aid communicates to
the player if the electronic card played has accurately achieved a preannounced
configuration match using various visual and audial stimuli. The location-based
server adjusts the player's credit balance as required by the results of the
game and the electronic bingo aid displays this information to the player.
  (v)
Electronic bingo aids may be used to offer visual and audio feedback for all
players including, but not limited to, easy to read bingo cards on screen,
symbols representative of bingo card wins and bonus wins, and entertaining
displays and sounds designed to easily identify accurately achieved
preannounced configuration matches.
  (vi) A veteran's organization may
enter into any contract with any vendor for the vendor to operate electronic
bingo aids, concessions, security, or any other service on behalf of the
veterans' organization.
  (vii) A veteran's organization may
not hold more than one American Heroes Bingo license. Multiple veteran's
organizations may operate or cause the operation of American Heroes Bingo in a
building, provided that there is a single specified license holder per
building. This applies to all buildings regardless of ownership, primary use,
or original use.
SECTION 3.  Section 12-21-4030(B) of the S.C. Code is amended to
read:
    (B)(1) A holder of a Class AA license
shall impose an entrance fee of eighteen dollars;
       (2)
A holder of a Class B license shall impose an entrance fee of five dollars;
       (3)
A holder of a Class D or Class E license may impose a five-dollar entrance fee; and
       (4)
A holder of a Class F license may impose a three-dollar entrance fee.; and
       (5) A holder of a Class G license may
impose an entrance fee of five dollars.
SECTION 4.  Section 12-21-4070 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:
    Section
12-21-4070.   No license, as
provided by this article, may be issued to an organization, promoter, vendor, veteran's organization, or individual that has
not been domiciled in this State for at least threetwo years immediately preceding the license application.
In the case of the organization or vendor, the
organization or vendor must also have been active
in this State for at least two years.
SECTION 5.  Section 12-21-4190 of the S.C. Code is amended to read:
    Section
12-21-4190.   (A) The department
shall charge and retain ten cents for each dollar of face value for each bingo
card sold for AA, B, D, and E licenses. The department shall charge and retain
five cents for each dollar of face value for each bingo card sold for an F license.
The department shall charge and retain four cents for each dollar of face value
for each bingo card sold for a C license.
    (B)
The revenue retained must be distributed as follows:
       (1)
twenty-eight percent of the revenue must be distributed to the sponsoring
charity for which the bingo cards were purchased. The department shall make the
distribution to the sponsoring charity by the last day of the next month
following the month the revenue was collected. Distributions pursuant to this
subsection must be reduced by any delinquent debts as defined in the Setoff
Debt Collection Act;
       (2)
seventy-two percent pursuant to Section 12-21-4200.
    (C)
The provisions of subsection (B) do not apply to holders of Class F licenses.
The entire amount of revenue remitted pursuant to Section 12-21-4190 by Class F
licensees shall be distributed pursuant to Section 12-21-4200.
    (D)(1) The provisions of subsections (A)
and (B) do not apply to holders of a Class G license. An amount of fifteen
percent of the net hold for a month derived from American Heroes Bingo of each
veteran's organization must be remitted to the Veterans' Trust Fund. A total
amount of ten percent of the net hold for a month derived from American Heroes
Bingo of each veteran's organization must be split and remitted equally to the
South Carolina state headquarters of the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign
Wars, and Disabled American Veterans. Other chartered Veterans Service
Organizations with membership in excess of four thousand also may submit a
claim to the proceeds derived from American Heroes Bingo. Such payments are due
on or before the twentieth day of the following month.
       (2) All revenues received and
deposited into the Veterans' Trust Fund from American Heroes Bingo are subject
to an annual budget process. A budget outlining all anticipated expenditures of
such funds must be prepared and submitted to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs
for approval. Disbursement of funds derived from American Heroes Bingo may not
be made without the prior approval of the Secretary.
SECTION 6.  Section 33-57-100 (A) and (D) of the S.C. Code is
amended to read:
    (A) A lottery or raffle of any type
whatsoever is unlawful unless it is authorized by the following:
       (1)
Chapter 150, Title 59, the Education Lottery;
       (2)
Article 24, Chapter 21, Title 12, Charitable Bingo;  or
       (3)
Chapter 57, Title 33, Nonprofit Raffles for Charitable Purposes.; or
       (4) Article 24, Chapter 21, Title 12,
American Heroes Bingo.
    (D)
Except for raffles conducted by the South Carolina Lottery Commission pursuant
to Chapter 150, Title 59 or Charitable Bingo authorized by Article 24, Chapter
21, Title 12, or American Heroes Bingo authorized by
Article 24, Chapter 21, Title 12, the provisions of this chapter provide
the sole means by which activities associated with conducting raffles are
authorized. The provisions of this chapter must be narrowly construed to ensure
that tax-exempt entities conducting a nonprofit raffle pursuant to this chapter
are in strict compliance with the requirements of this chapter.
SECTION 7.  This act takes effect upon approval
by the Governor.
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This web page was last updated on May 05, 2025 at 10:25 AM