CITE

    18 USC Sec. 1953                                            01/05/2009

EXPCITE

    TITLE 18 - CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
    PART I - CRIMES
    CHAPTER 95 - RACKETEERING

HEAD

    Sec. 1953. Interstate transportation of wagering paraphernalia

STATUTE

      (a) Whoever, except a common carrier in the usual course of its
    business, knowingly carries or sends in interstate or foreign
    commerce any record, paraphernalia, ticket, certificate, bills,
    slip, token, paper, writing, or other device used, or to be used,
    or adapted, devised, or designed for use in (a) bookmaking; or (b)
    wagering pools with respect to a sporting event; or (c) in a
    numbers, policy, bolita, or similar game shall be fined under this
    title or imprisoned for not more than five years or both.
      (b) This section shall not apply to (1) parimutuel betting
    equipment, parimutuel tickets where legally acquired, or parimutuel
    materials used or designed for use at racetracks or other sporting
    events in connection with which betting is legal under applicable
    State law, or (2) the transportation of betting materials to be
    used in the placing of bets or wagers on a sporting event into a
    State in which such betting is legal under the statutes of that
    State, or (3) the carriage or transportation in interstate or
    foreign commerce of any newspaper or similar publication, or (4)
    equipment, tickets, or materials used or designed for use within a
    State in a lottery conducted by that State acting under authority
    of State law, or (5) the transportation in foreign commerce to a
    destination in a foreign country of equipment, tickets, or
    materials designed to be used within that foreign country in a
    lottery which is authorized by the laws of that foreign country.
      (c) Nothing contained in this section shall create immunity from
    criminal prosecution under any laws of any State, Commonwealth of
    Puerto Rico, territory, possession, or the District of Columbia.
      (d) For the purposes of this section (1) "State" means a State of
    the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of
    Puerto Rico, or any territory or possession of the United States;
    and (2) "foreign country" means any empire, country, dominion,
    colony, or protectorate, or any subdivision thereof (other than the
    United States, its territories or possessions).
      (e) For the purposes of this section "lottery" means the pooling
    of proceeds derived from the sale of tickets or chances and
    allotting those proceeds or parts thereof by chance to one or more
    chance takers or ticket purchasers. "Lottery" does not include the
    placing or accepting of bets or wagers on sporting events or
    contests.

SOURCE

    (Added Pub. L. 87-218, Sec. 1, Sept. 13, 1961, 75 Stat. 492;
    amended Pub. L. 93-583, Sec. 3, Jan. 2, 1975, 88 Stat. 1916; Pub.
    L. 96-90, Sec. 2, Oct. 23, 1979, 93 Stat. 698; Pub. L. 103-322,
    title XXXIII, Sec. 330016(1)(L), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147.)

AMENDMENTS

      1994 - Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 103-322 substituted "fined under this
    title" for "fined not more than $10,000".
      1979 - Subsec. (b)(5). Pub. L. 96-90, Sec. 2(1), added cl. (5).
      Subsecs. (d), (e). Pub. L. 96-90, Sec. 2(2), added subsecs. (d)
    and (e).
      1975 - Subsec. (b)(4). Pub. L. 93-583 added cl. (4).