Irvine Municipal Code Ch. 1 In General

A. Pursuant to Penal Code § 326.5, bingo games are hereby permitted within the City of Irvine, provided such games are conducted by organizations exempted from the payment of the bank and corporation by Revenue and Taxation Code §§ 23701a, 23701b, 23701d, 23701e, 23701f, 23701g, 23701k, 23701w, and 23701l, and by mobile home park associations, senior citizen organizations and charitable organizations affiliated with a school district; and provided that the proceeds of such games are used only for charitable purposes; and provided that a license is obtained therefor pursuant to Section 4-16-102, and provided that the bingo games are conducted in accordance to the requirements of California Penal Code § 326.5 and the requirements of this division.

B. As used in this division, "bingo" shall mean a game of chance in which prizes are awarded on the basis of designated numbers or symbols that are marked or covered by the player on a tangible card in the player's possession and that conform to numbers or symbols, selected at random and announced by a live caller. The game of bingo includes tangible cards having numbers or symbols that are concealed and preprinted in a manner providing for distribution of prizes. Electronics or video displays shall not be used in connection with the game of bingo, except in connection with the caller's drawing of numbers or symbols and the public display of that drawing, and except as provided below.

1. Players who are physically present at a bingo game may use hand-held, portable card-minding devices, as described in this subdivision, to assist in monitoring the numbers or symbols announced by a live caller as those numbers or symbols are called in a live game. Card-minding devices may not be used in connection with any game where a bingo card may be sold or distributed after the start of the ball draw for that game. A card-minding device shall do all of the following:

a. Be capable of storing in the memory of the device bingo faces of tangible cards purchased by a player.

b. Provide a means for bingo players to input manually each individual number or symbol announced by a live caller.

c. Compare the numbers or symbols entered by the player to the bingo faces previously stored in the memory of the device.

d. Identify winning bingo patterns that exist on the stored bingo faces.

2. A card-minding device shall perform no functions involving the play of the game other than those described in Paragraph 1. Card-minding devices shall not do any of the following:

a. Be capable of accepting or dispensing any coins, currency, or other representative of value or on which value has been encoded.

b. Be capable of monitoring any bingo card face other than the faces of the tangible bingo card or cards purchased by the player for that game.

c. Display or represent the game result through any means, including, but not limited to, video or mechanical reels or other slot machine or casino game themes, other than highlighting the winning numbers or symbols marked or covered on the tangible bingo cards or giving an audio alert that the player's card has a prize-winning pattern.

d. Determine the outcome of any game or be physically or electronically connected to any component that determines the outcome of a game or to any other bingo equipment, including, but not limited to, the ball call station, or to any other card-minding device. No other player-operated or player-activated electronic or electromechanical device or equipment is permitted to be used in connection with a bingo game.

(Code 1976, § IV.N-101; Ord. No. 266, § 1, 7-22-80; Ord. No. 84-16, 9-11-84)

A. No person or organization shall organize, conduct or operate a bingo game without having first procured a license issued by the City of Irvine pursuant to the provisions of this division.

B. Eligible organizations desiring to obtain a license to conduct bingo games in the City of Irvine shall file an application in writing with the Office of the Manager of Fiscal Services on such forms as such office may provide and which shall contain such information as shall be deemed appropriate. Applications shall be accompanied by such fees as may be established by resolution of the City Council, which may be amended from time-to-time.

C. The issuing authority shall be the Director of Public Safety/Chief of Police.

D. Each license issued hereunder shall be issued to a specific organization to conduct bingo games at a specific location and shall in no event be transferable from one organization to another nor from one location to another.

E. No license shall be issued to any organization unless such applicant is an eligible organization under section 4-16-101A and its application conforms to the requirements, terms and conditions of this division.

F. No organization shall be entitled to have more than one such license in effect at any one time.

G. A bingo license shall expire two years from the date of issue unless revoked pursuant to the provisions of this division. A bingo license may be renewed for a maximum period of two years at any time within three months from the date of its expiration, upon application therefor on such forms as are provided by the Manager of Fiscal Services and upon payment of such renewal fees as may be established by resolution of the City Council, which may be amended from time-to-time.

(Code 1976, § IV.N-102; Ord. No. 266, § 1, 7-22-80)

Upon receipt of the completed application and the fee, the Manager of Fiscal Services shall refer said application to the Director of Public Safety/Chief of Police and interested departments of the City including, but not limited to, the City Manager, City Attorney, Building Department, and the Fire Department for investigation as to whether or not all the statements in the application are true and whether or not the property of the applicant qualifies and the extent to which it qualifies, as property on which bingo games may lawfully be conducted as to fire, occupancy, zoning and other applicable restrictions.

(Code 1976, § IV.N-103; Ord. No. 266, § 1, 7-22-80)

Upon being satisfied that the applicant has fully provided the required information and is qualified under Penal Code § 326.5 and this division to conduct bingo games in the City of Irvine, the Director of Public Safety/Chief of Police shall issue a license to said applicant, which shall contain the following information:

A. The name and nature of the organization to whom the license is issued.

B. The address where bingo games are authorized to be conducted.

C. The day of week and hours of day for which bingo games are to be conducted.

D. The occupancy capacity of the room in which bingo games are to be conducted.

E. The date of the expiration of such license.

F. Such other information as may be necessary or desirable for the enforcement of the provisions of this division.

(Code 1976, § IV.N-104; Ord. No. 266, § 1, 7-22-80)