§1172 — Title 15 Commerce and Trade | U.S. Code

Summary

It is illegal to knowingly bring a gambling machine into a U.S. state or territory from outside that place. But there are exceptions. It is allowed if the state or a local part of the state passed a law opting out of this rule, if the device is going to a licensed gambling business where betting is legal under state law, or if the state’s law specifically lists that device as lawful for interstate or foreign transport. This law does not reduce the Federal Trade Commission’s powers under the FTC Act. A gambling device may also be brought into a state on a vessel during a voyage if using it on part of that voyage is not illegal under subsection (b) of section 1175 and the device stays on board while the ship is in that state.

Title 15, §1172

Commerce and Trade — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)It shall be unlawful knowingly to transport any gambling device to any place in a State or a possession of the United States from any place outside of such State or possession: Provided, That this section shall not apply to transportation of any gambling device to a place in any State which has enacted a law providing for the exemption of such State from the provisions of this section, or to a place in any subdivision of a State if the State in which such subdivision is located has enacted a law providing for the exemption of such subdivision from the provisions of this section, nor shall this section apply to any gambling device used or designed for use at and transported to licensed gambling establishments where betting is legal under applicable State laws: Provided, further, That it shall not be unlawful to transport in interstate or foreign commerce any gambling device into any State in which the transported gambling device is specifically enumerated as lawful in a statute of that State.

(b)Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to interfere with or reduce the authority, or the existing interpretation of the authority, of the Federal Trade Commission under the Federal Trade Commission Act [15 U.S.C. 41 et. seq.].

(c)This section does not prohibit the transport of a gambling device to a place in a State or a possession of the United States on a vessel on a voyage, if—

(1)use of the gambling device on a portion of that voyage is, by reason of subsection (b) of section 1175 of this title, not a violation of that section; and

(2)the gambling device remains on board that vessel while in that State.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Federal Trade Commission Act, referred to in subsec. (b), is act Sept. 26, 1914, ch. 311, 38 Stat. 717, which is classified generally to subchapter I (§ 41 et seq.) of chapter 2 of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see section 58 of this title and Tables.

Amendments

1992—Pub. L. 102–251, § 202(a)(1), (3), (4), designated existing provisions as subsecs. (a) and (b), inserted headings, and added subsec. (c). Pub. L. 102–251, § 202(a)(2), which directed that “, District of Columbia,” be struck out in subsec. (a), was executed by striking out “, the District of Columbia,” after “place in a State” and “outside of such State” to reflect the probable intent of Congress. 1962—Pub. L. 87–840 excepted gambling devices used or designed for use at and transported to licensed gambling establishments where betting is legal under State laws, and provided that it shall not be unlawful to transport such devices into any State in which the device is specifically enumerated as lawful in a State statute.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1962 AmendmentAmendment effective on sixtieth day after Oct. 18, 1962, see section 7 of Pub. L. 87–840, set out as a note under section 1171 of this title.

§1172 Transportation of gambling devices as unlawful; exceptions; authority of Federal Trade Commission