Ceres Municipal Code Ch. 18 Gambling

Game includes slot machines, poker, bingo, craps, keno, any other type of game ordinarily played in a casino, a game involving the display of the results of a raffle, sweepstakes, drawing, contest, or other promotion, lotto, and any other game associated with gambling or which could be associated with gambling. "Game" does not necessarily imply gambling as that term may be defined elsewhere.

Simulated gambling device means any device that, upon connection with an object, is available to play or operate a computer simulation of a game, where the play or operation of the device may deliver or entitle to a person or persons playing or operating the device to a payoff directly or indirectly from the owner or operator of the device or that person's designee. The following rules of construction apply to the definition of "simulated gambling device:"

1. Device means any mechanical or electrical contrivance, computer, terminal, video or other equipment that may or may not be capable of downloading games from a central server system, machine, computer, or other device or equipment. The meaning of "device" also includes any associated equipment necessary to conduct the operation of the device.

2. Upon connection with means insertion, swiping, passing in range, or any other technical means of physically or electromagnetically connecting an object to a device, including by manual input by any person of characters, numbers, or any combination thereof, or other code for the purpose of accessing or activating a device, or any other mechanism or method by which the object provides access to the device.

3. Object means a coin, bill, ticket, token, card, characters, numbers, or any combination thereof, other code, or other tangible or intangible access mechanism or method, obtained directly or indirectly through payment of consideration, or obtained as a bonus or supplement to another transaction involving the payment of consideration.

4. Play or operate or play or operation includes the use of skill, the application of the element of chance, or both.

5. Computer simulation includes simulations by means of a computer, computer system, video display, video system or any other form of electronic video presentation.

6. Game includes slot machines, poker, bingo, craps, keno, any other type of game ordinarily played in a casino, a game involving the display of the results of a raffle, sweepstakes, drawing, contest, or other promotion, lotto, and any other game associated with gambling or which could be associated with gambling. "Game" does not necessarily imply gambling as that term may be defined elsewhere.

7. Payoff means cash, monetary or other credit, billet, tickets, tokens, or electronic credits to be exchanged for cash or to receive merchandise or anything of value whatsoever, whether made automatically from the machine or manually.

8. Gambling in the term "simulated gambling device" is for convenience of reference only. "Simulated gambling device" is defined exclusively by this subsection and does not incorporate or imply any other legal definition or requirement applicable to gambling that may be found elsewhere.

(Ord. No. 2020-1056, § 1, 2-24-2020)

No person, firm, corporation, or association shall for profit or any commercial purpose keep, operate, conduct, or maintain any house, room, apartment, dwelling place, building, or premises within the City, where any game or gambling, that is not otherwise included in Penal Code sections 330 or 330a, is played, conducted, dealt, or carried on with cards, dice, or any other device of whatsoever nature, for money, checks, credit, merchandise, or other representative of value.

(Ord. No. 2020-1056, § 1, 2-24-2020)

No person shall deal, operate, attend, play, or bet at or against any game that is played, conducted, dealt, or carried on with cards, dice, dominoes, or other device, for money, checks, chips, credit, or any representative of value, in any house, room, apartment, or place. However, this section shall not apply to occasional private games, otherwise lawful, carried on for purely social purposes in a private home.

(Ord. No. 2020-1056, § 1, 2-24-2020)

It is unlawful for any person to manage, supervise, maintain, provide, produce, possess or use one or multiple simulated gambling device(s) for commercial purposes. Each individual act to manage, supervise, maintain, provide, produce, possess or use a simulated gambling device constitutes a separate violation of this section.

(Ord. No. 2020-1056, § 1, 2-24-2020)