San Francisco County Municipal Code Art. 3 Games of Chance

Sec. 260. Playing Poker in Public Places Prohibited. Sec. 277. Dice Throwing in Certain Cases Prohibited. Sec. 282. Gambling in Barricaded Rooms Prohibited. Sec. 283. Visiting Barricaded Gambling Rooms Prohibited. Sec. 288. Visiting Gambling House Prohibited. Sec. 293. Possession of Gambling Implements Prohibited. Sec. 294. Possession Defined. Sec. 325. Operation of Slot Machines Prohibited. Sec. 326. Operation Defined. Sec. 327. Penalty. Sec. 331. Visiting Pool Rooms Prohibited. Sec. 332. Betting, Pool Selling, Pool Buying on Horse Races Prohibited. Sec. 333. Bookmaking, Pool Buying, Wagers, Bets on Dog Races Prohibited. Sec. 334. Pool Selling, Bookmaking, Betting on Contests Between Men Prohibited. Sec. 335. Immunity From Prosecution. Sec. 340. Strap Game, Trick of The Loop, Prohibited. Sec. 341. Operation of Strap Game, Trick of The Loop, Prohibited.

SEC. 260. PLAYING POKER IN PUBLIC PLACES PROHIBITED. It shall be unlawful for any person to play the game of poker, for money or other representative of value, in any barroom or public place, or for any person having the possession or charge or control of any barroom or public place to permit the game of poker to be played therein for money or other representative of value, unless licensed pursuant to Article 32A of the Police Code. (Amended by Ord. 437-82, App. 9/3/82) Sec. 265. (Added by Ord. 1.075, App. 10/11/38; repealed by Ord. 14-02, File No. 011845, App. 2/8/2002) Sec. 266. (Added by Ord. 1.075, App. 10/11/38; repealed by Ord. 14-02, File No. 011845, App. 2/8/2002)

Sec. 270. (Added by Ord. 210, Series of 1939, App. 7/12/39; repealed by Ord. 14-02, File No. 011845, App. 2/8/2002) Sec. 271. (Added by Ord. 211, Series of 1939, App. 7/12/39; repealed by Ord. 14-02, File No. 011845, App. 2/8/2002) Sec. 272. (Added by Ord. 211, Series of 1939, App. 7/12/39; repealed by Ord. 14-02, File No. 011845, App. 2/8/2002) SEC. 277. DICE THROWING IN CERTAIN CASES PROHIBITED. No person shall draw numbers, figures, letters or cards in the nature of a game of chance, or throw or count dice or engage or take part in any way therein, or in any game of chance of any kind whatever for money, thing in action, property or valuables of any kind whatever in a public place, or place open to public view, or where the same may be seen by persons being or passing upon the street or in the presence or view of two or more persons, including those engaged therein; and no person shall permit or suffer the same upon his or her premises or place, or upon any premises or place under his or her control; provided, that cube or poker dice may be thrown for merchandise within a place of business where such merchandise is ordinarily sold, by persons other than the proprietor of such business and the employees of such proprietor. (Added by Ord. 1.075, App. 10/11/38) SEC. 282. GAMBLING IN BARRICADED ROOMS PROHIBITED. It shall be unlawful for any person within the limits of the City and County of San Francisco to exhibit or expose to view in any barred or barricaded house or room, or in any place built or protected in a manner to make it difficult of access or ingress to police officers, when three or more persons are present, any cards, dice, dominoes, fan-tan table or layout, or any part of such layout, or any gambling implements whatsoever. (Added by Ord. 1.075, App. 10/11/38) SEC. 283. VISITING BARRICADED GAMBLING ROOMS PROHIBITED. It shall be unlawful for any person for the practice of gambling within the limits of the City and County of San Francisco to visit or resort to any such barred or barricaded house or room or other place built or protected in a manner to make it difficult of access or ingress to police officers, where any cards, dice, dominoes, fan-tan table or layout, or any part of such layout or any gambling implements whatsoever are exhibited or exposed to view when three or more persons are present. (Amended by Ord. 59-58, App. 2/5/58) SEC. 288. VISITING GAMBLING HOUSE PROHIBITED. It shall be unlawful for any person to keep or maintain, or visit for the practice of gambling, or to contribute to the support of any house or place where gambling is carried on or conducted, or to knowingly let or underlet or transfer the possession of, any house or premises for use by any person for said purpose. (Amended by Ord. 59-58, App. 2/5/58) SEC. 293. POSSESSION OF GAMBLING IMPLEMENTS PROHIBITED. It shall be unlawful for any person to have in his possession, unless it be shown that such possession is innocent or for a lawful purpose,

any faro box, faro table, faro layout, faro cases, faro checks, or other implement or implements for playing any banking game. (Added by Ord. 1.075, App. 10/11/38) SEC. 294. POSSESSION DEFINED. Any person found in any room or apartment where such gambling implement or implements are discovered shall, unless the contrary appear, be deemed to have possession of the same; provided, that the possession of such implements by the manufacturer of the same shall be deemed innocent or for a lawful purpose. (Added by Ord. 1.075, App. 10/11/38) Sec. 299. (Added by Ord. 1.075, App. 10/11/38; repealed by Ord. 14-02, File No. 011845, App. 2/8/2002) Sec. 300. (Added by Ord. 1.075, App. 10/11/38; repealed by Ord. 14-02, File No. 011845, App. 2/8/2002) Sec. 305. (Added by Ord. 1.075, App. 10/11/38; repealed by Ord. 14-02, File No. 011845, App. 2/8/2002) Sec. 310. (Added by Ord. 1.075, App. 10/11/38; repealed by Ord. 14-02, File No. 011845, App. 2/8/2002) Sec. 315. (Added by Ord. 1.075, App. 10/11/38; repealed by Ord. 14-02, File No. 011845, App. 2/8/2002) Sec. 320. (Amended by Ord. 59-58, App. 2/5/58; repealed by Ord. 14-02, File No. 011845, App. 2/8/2002) SEC. 325. OPERATION OF SLOT MACHINES PROHIBITED. It shall be unlawful for any person, either as owner, lessee, agent, employee, mortgagee or otherwise to operate, keep, maintain, rent, use or conduct, within the City and County of San Francisco, any clock, tape, slot or card machine, or any other machine, contrivance or device upon which money is staked or hazarded upon chance or into which money is paid, deposited, or played, upon chance or upon result of the action of which money or any other article or thing of value is staked, bet, hazarded, won or lost upon chance. (Added by Ord. 1.075, App. 10/11/38) SEC. 326. OPERATION DEFINED. It shall be unlawful for any person, either as owner, lessee, agent, employee, mortgagee or otherwise, to operate, keep, maintain, rent, use or conduct, within the City and County of San Francisco, any machine, contrivance, appliance or mechanical device upon the result of the action of which money or other valuable things are staked, or hazarded, and which is operated, or played by placing or depositing therein any coins, checks, slugs, balls or other articles or device, or in any other manner, and by means of the action thereof, or as a result of the operation of which, any merchandise, money, representative or article of value, check or token, redeemable in, or exchangeable for money, or any other thing of value is won or lost, or taken from or obtained from such machine when the result of the action or operation of such machine, contrivance, appliance, or mechanical device, is dependent upon hazard or chance. (Added by Ord. 1.075, App. 10/11/38) SEC. 327. PENALTY.

Any person who shall violate any of the provisions of Sections 325 and 326 of this Article shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not less than $100, nor more than $500, or by imprisonment in the County Jail for not more than six months, or by both such fine and imprisonment. (Added by Ord. 1.075, App. 10/11/38) SEC. 331. VISITING POOL ROOMS PROHIBITED. It shall be unlawful for any person in the City and County of San Francisco to become an inmate of or, for any unlawful purpose to visit any house, premises, room, apartment or place carried on, conducted, or used as a "Poolroom" or house, premises, room or apartment carried on, conducted or used as a place for, or for the purpose of making, buying or selling pools, or for making "books," or pools, or for making bets or wagers or for making out, issuing or delivering "pool tickets," cards, prints, papers or memoranda showing or indicating, or purporting or understood to show or indicate the character or nature of a pool, or bet, or wager, or amount of money, or thing, or article staked, pledged or wagered, or for recording or registering "books," pools, bets or wagers or for the receipt, payment, distribution of money or other articles or things as representatives of value paid, offered, staked, pledged, bet, wagered, lost or won on a horse race, or on horse racing, on a contest or on contest of speed between horses, or on a dog race, or on dog racing, or on a contest or on contests of speed between dogs, or on a contest or on contest between men. (Amended by Ord. 59-58, App. 2/5/58) SEC. 332. BETTING, POOL SELLING, POOL BUYING ON HORSE RACES PROHIBITED. It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to sell or buy pools or make books or make or receive as principal or agent or otherwise, any bet or wager whereby money or other representative of value is staked or pledged on a race or races understood to be run, or purporting to be run between horses. (Added by Ord. 1.075, App. 10/11/38) SEC. 333. BOOKMAKING, POOL BUYING, WAGERS, BETS ON DOG RACES PROHIBITED. It shall be unlawful for any person or corporation in the City and County of San Francisco to sell or buy or make books or make any bet or wager in any system of registering bets or wagers wherein money or any other representative of value is staked or pledged on races between dogs. (Added by Ord. 1.075, App. 10/11/38) SEC. 334. POOL SELLING, BOOKMAKING, BETTING ON CONTESTS BETWEEN MEN PROHIBITED. It shall be unlawful for any person in the City and County of San Francisco to sell or buy pools or make books, or make any bet or wager in any system of registering bets or wagers wherein money or any other representative of value, or other articles of value are staked or pledged on contests between men. (Added by Ord. 1.075, App. 10/11/38) SEC. 335. IMMUNITY FROM PROSECUTION. No person, otherwise competent as a witness, is disqualified from testifying as such concerning the offenses defined in Sections 331 to 335, inclusive, of this Article, on the ground that such testimony may incriminate such witness under the provisions defined in said sections, but no prosecution can afterward be had against such witness for any offense defined in said sections, concerning which he testified. (Added by Ord. 1.075, App. 10/11/38)

SEC. 340. STRAP GAME, TRICK OF THE LOOP, PROHIBITED. It shall be unlawful for any person to advise or solicit or challenge another person to bet or wager anything of value on the game played by means of a strap and commonly known as the "strap game" or "trick of the loop," or to win or acquire any money or thing of value from any person by means of said game. Any instrument, of whatever texture, used to play said "strap game" or "trick of the loop," shall be deemed a strap for the purposes of Sections 340 and 341 of this Article. (Added by Ord. 1.075, App. 10/11/38) SEC. 341. OPERATION OF STRAP GAME, TRICK OF THE LOOP, PROHIBITED. It shall be unlawful for any person to permit the "strap game" or "trick of the loop," to be played for anything of value in or on any premises under his control. (Added by Ord. 1.075, App. 10/11/38)