§1953. Interstate transportation of wagering paraphernalia

(a) Whoever, except a common carrier in the usual course of its business, knowingly carries or sends in interstate or foreign commerce any record, paraphernalia, ticket, certificate, bills, slip, token, paper, writing, or other device used, or to be used, or adapted, devised, or designed for use in (a) bookmaking; or (b) wagering pools with respect to a sporting event; or (c) in a numbers, policy, bolita, or similar game shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for not more than five years or both.

(b) This section shall not apply to (1) parimutuel betting equipment, parimutuel tickets where legally acquired, or parimutuel materials used or designed for use at racetracks or other sporting events in connection with which betting is legal under applicable State law, or (2) the transportation of betting materials to be used in the placing of bets or wagers on a sporting event into a State in which such betting is legal under the statutes of that State, or (3) the carriage or transportation in interstate or foreign commerce of any newspaper or similar publication, or (4) equipment, tickets, or materials used or designed for use within a State in a lottery conducted by that State acting under authority of State law, (5) equipment, tickets, or materials used or designed for use in a savings promotion raffle operated by an insured depository institution or an insured credit union, or (6) the transportation in foreign commerce to a destination in a foreign country of equipment, tickets, or materials designed to be used within that foreign country in a lottery which is authorized by the laws of that foreign country.

(c) Nothing contained in this section shall create immunity from criminal prosecution under any laws of any State, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, territory, possession, or the District of Columbia.

(d) For purposes of this section-

(1) the term "foreign country" means any empire, country, dominion, colony, or protectorate, or any subdivision thereof (other than the United States, its territories or possessions);

(2) 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);

(3) 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);

(4) the term "lottery"-

(A) 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; and

(B) does not include the placing or accepting of bets or wagers on sporting events or contests;

(5) 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)); and

(6) the term "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.

(Added Pub. L. 87–218, §1, Sept. 13, 1961, 75 Stat. 492 ; amended Pub. L. 93–583, §3, Jan. 2, 1975, 88 Stat. 1916 ; Pub. L. 96–90, §2, Oct. 23, 1979, 93 Stat. 698 ; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, §330016(1)(L), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147 ; Pub. L. 113–251, §5(2), Dec. 18, 2014, 128 Stat. 2891 .)

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2014-Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 113–251, §5(2)(A), substituted "(5) equipment, tickets, or materials used or designed for use in a savings promotion raffle operated by an insured depository institution or an insured credit union, or (6)" for "or (5)".

Subsecs. (d), (e). Pub. L. 113–251, §5(2)(B), added subsec. (d) and struck out former subsecs. (d) and (e) which read as follows:

"(d) 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).

"(e) For the purposes 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."

1994-Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 103–322 substituted "fined under this title" for "fined not more than $10,000".

1979-Subsec. (b)(5). Pub. L. 96–90, §2(1), added cl. (5).

Subsecs. (d), (e). Pub. L. 96–90, §2(2), added subsecs. (d) and (e).

1975-Subsec. (b)(4). Pub. L. 93–583 added cl. (4).