Untitled Texas Attorney General Opinion ( 1985 )

The Attorney General of Texas October22, 1985 JIM MATTOX Attorney Getma supmmecowl suihiing HonorableOscar Hauey OpiuiouR0.~'&368 P. 0. Box 12949 chsirmeu Atmtln.TX. 797ll- 2548 Committeeon Jurisprudence Re: Whether a ticket-vending 51214752991 Texas State Senate computer terminal which merely Telex Slow74.1297 1-r 512/4750289 P. 0. Box 12068 dispenaes.ticketsis a "gambling Amstin.Texas 78711 device"'under chapter 47 of the Penal Code, and relatedquestions D& SAator ibusy: 4924Albmte Ave. Stdtb10 Pea ask whethw the PAT-2000,a tickat-veading computerterminal ElP4SO.T% - is a "gadlius dev!r:e" uader sections47.01(3)and 47.06 of.the Texas 91615939484 Peuslrcode. Pou.also ask whether subsections.(a):.&.(b) of 47.06, whickSet forth'thr!elementsof~the'crimeof possession-ofa "gsmbliug device,"are unccau~titutionallyvague. ;.i;(' '. Sectlon'47.06provides,in part: . y. ~'(a): 1~' persou cumlts au offen.se'~~.if he : ! kuowiugl~r ~.owus, mauufactures;~ttaasfers;~ or poasesseu any gambling de+ice that he .knWs is designed for gambl&ng purposes or snp'equip&at that.~ he knows is designed as a subassemblyor Uoo N. Tenlh, Sulto S esseatia:t part of a gamblingdevice. MeAllenn. lx. 7s5o1-1(185 51-7 (b) A person comlts an offense if. with the intent 1.0 further gsmbling, he knowingly.owns, 2ooMalnPleza,sune400 marmfaCtw:es.transferscoumerc%all~,or p?asesses San Anlonlo, lx 7aw-2797 any altered gambling equipment 'that' he knows is 612@29.4191 designed for gambling purposes ore any equipment that he knows is daslgaed as a subassemblyor eseeutislpart of such device. Section47.01(9)provides: 'GembLLngdevice'means,any mechanicalctitri- Vance that for a considerationaffords the player an opportunityto obtain~aaytbingof value. %he award OF which is determined by chance, even though r.ccompaniedby some skill. whether or not the prim is' automaticallypaid 'by the ~'con- trivance. p. 1689 Howrable Oscar Mausy - Page 2 (~'~-368) Application of these provfsioua depeuds upon the physical characteristicsof the prtuticularobject or device ia question. See Attorney General Opiafaas MI-168 (1980); E-1153 (1978); H-940 v77). SyatechPAT-2000computertennlualsare kucwu as "transaction processing equipment." Tt.e technical informationsubmitted to us shows that they recordtransactionInformationand distributetickets. The PAT-2000is capableof dispeusinga wide range of products,such as airline tickets,euterta:iumeuttickets, and money orders. It is similarin functionto the automaticteller machineswhich are mu in use across the state. Neu,ertheless,many of the PAT-2000 termiuals which are.presently produced in Texas are manufacturedto produce ticketswhich are used in the New York State Lottery. Because the PAT-2000terminalcontainsuo data base for lotterytickets,however, the ticketscsnnot actuallybe dispenseduntil it is connectedto the main computerin New York. The statutory defiultiw of "gambling device" requires, among other things,proof that the award of a th%ug of value by the device be "determinedby chance, even though accompaniedby some skill." Peual Code 147.01(3);AttorneyGeneral Opiufous~~-168 (1980);E-1153, (1978). Thus. even if ths PAT-2000 wasdesigned specificallyfor a purpose, such as a lottery,,which would copstltuteau offense iu Texae. the offensesdescribedin subsectious(a) aud (b) of sectlou 47.06 requireproof that the machlue in questionis itselfa "gambling dcvicee or subassemblyof a "gamblingdevice" withiu the mesuiag of eection47*01(3). -See Attomey GeneralOpinionMW-168 (1980). The foregoingdescrlptioaof the PAT-2000 demoustratesthat its sole fuactloais to dispenee~tickats.Ooze the temfual is connected with the rain computer.fu New York,~.the tickets dispensedby the PAT-2000 will have state lottery numbers ou them. The element of chauce,however, is added :lnau eatlrely separateprocessand is uot au asseutlalelement-ofthe product at issue. The elementof chance occurs %u the lotteig drtariag.not in the transfer of a lottery ticket. Althoughthe ac=i :saleorepossessionof lotteryticketsin Texas is au offeuse. see Paaal Code 4547.03(a)(S),47.07(a).we deal here cmly tith the Gov question of whether the PAT-2000‘is a "gsmblbg device"per se. Cousequeutly.based 01,.theinformationabout the PAT-2000 sub- mitted in couuectiouwith :rouropinion request,we concludethat the .esseatialelement of chaacc:is not present in the PAT-2000termfual. We uote that'althoughthe elameutof chancemay be temporarilyremoved by "disabliug"a device, this will uot prevent it from being a "gamblingdevice." See Attmney General Opinion E-940 (1977). This is not, however, re&t to the case at hand because the PAT-2000 containsPO elementof chance aud~needuot be "disabled." We do.uotbelieve that ,thelegislatureintendedto includewithin "gaubliug device," a termlaal which IS capable only of dispensing tickets. The legislatureyintended section47.01(3)to reach devices p. 1690 .. DouorableOscar Mausy - Page 3 (JM-368) such as slot pachiuesaud roulettevheels. See PracticeComeutary to section47.01 (suggest* that a "sachauical~ontrivauce" may also be requiredby the deff.nitf.on), In light of this couclusion, ve do not reach your secondquestion of whether the void-for-vzgueness doctrine prevents applicationof section 47.01(3) aud subsec:tious (a) and (b) of section47.06 to the PAY-2000terminal. SUMMARY A "gambling device," as defined in section 47.01(3) in coujrmctlonwith subsections(a) aud (b) of section 4,7.06~, does not apply to the Syntech PAY-ZOOO,, a ticket-vending terminaluhlch awrely dispensestickets.TFz device lacks the eleawxtt of chance essentialto a "gamblingdevice"uuder section47.01(3). JIM WATTOX Attorney General of Texas TCMGNNEN First AssistantAttorney General DAVID B. XICDAXDS ExecutiveAssistantAttonwy General RCBXXYCSAY SpecialAssistantAttomey General RICX GILPIN Chairman,OpinionCosdttec: Preparedby Jenniferluggs Assistant AttorneyGeneral APPROVED: OP7.DIONCOMMITl'gE Rick Gilpin.Chairman Coliu Carl Susan Garrison Tony Guillory Jim Moelliuger JenniferXiggs Nancy Sutton Sareh Woelk p. 1691