Connecticut § 7-177 - Prizes.

§ 7-177. Prizes.

Sec. 7-177. Prizes. (a) All prizes given at any bazaar or raffle shall be merchandise, tangible personal property or a ticket, coupon, gift card or gift certificate, entitling the winner to merchandise, tangible personal property, services, transportation on a common carrier by land, water or air and to any tour facilities provided in connection therewith, or to participation in a lottery conducted under chapter 226. Such ticket, coupon, gift card or gift certificate shall not be refundable. No cash prizes or prizes consisting of alcoholic liquor shall be given, except as provided in subsection (b) of this section and section 7-177a, and no prize shall be redeemed or redeemable for cash, except tickets for a lottery conducted under chapter 226 or gift certificates awarded in accordance with subsection (e) of section 7-185a. No animal shall be given as a prize. For the purposes of this section, coins whose trading value exceeds their face value and coins not commonly in circulation shall not be deemed a cash prize.

(b) Any sponsoring organization authorized to conduct a bazaar pursuant to section 7-172 may award cash prizes not to exceed fifty dollars each in connection with the playing of a blower ball game. For purposes of this subsection “blower ball game” means a game of chance where the players wager on a color or number and the winner is determined by the drawing of a colored or numbered ball from a mechanical ball blower that mixes ping pong balls with blown air.

(1955, S. 295d; 1957, P.A. 328; P.A. 73-239, S. 2, 3; P.A. 81-383, S. 3; P.A. 89-214, S. 7, 26; P.A. 90-15, S. 1, 2; P.A. 07-36, S. 6; P.A. 09-34, S. 1; P.A. 10-132, S. 2; P.A. 23-98, S. 23; P.A. 24-142, S. 89.)

History: P.A. 73-239 allowed prizes to consist of lottery tickets; P.A. 81-383 added real property as a permissible prize under a “Class No. 6” permit; P.A. 89-214 deleted reference to prizes of real property in the case of a raffle conducted under a “Class No. 6” permit; P.A. 90-15 allowed prizes to consist of gift certificates entitling winner to merchandise, tangible personal property or services and specified that certain coins would not be deemed a cash prize; P.A. 07-36 made technical changes and added exception to the cash prize prohibition; P.A. 09-34 designated existing provisions as Subsec. (a), made a conforming change therein and added Subsec. (b) re prizes for blower ball games, effective May 20, 2009; P.A. 10-132 amended Subsec. (a) to add gift certificates as an exception to prohibition against prizes redeemable for cash; P.A. 23-98 amended Subsec. (a) by adding provisions re gift cards and deleting provision prohibiting transfer of prizes, effective July 1, 2023; P.A. 24-142 amended Subsec. (a) to add prohibition on animal as a prize.