Section 2915.082 - Illegally operating as manufacturer of bingo supplies(A) No manufacturer shall sell, offer to sell, or otherwise provide or offer to provide bingo supplies for use in this state without having obtained a license from the attorney general under this section.(B)(1) The attorney general may issue a manufacturer license to any person that meets the requirements of this section. The application for the license shall be on a form prescribed by the attorney general and be accompanied by the annual fee prescribed by this section. The license is valid for a period of one year, and the annual fee for the license is five thousand dollars.(2) Upon applying for or renewing a license under this section, an applicant shall file with and have approved by the attorney general a bond in which the applicant shall be the principal obligor, in the sum of fifty thousand dollars, with one or more sureties authorized to do business in this state. The applicant shall maintain the bond in effect as long as the license is valid; however, the liability of the surety under the bond shall not exceed an all-time aggregate liability of fifty thousand dollars. The bond, which may be in the form of a rider to a larger blanket liability bond, shall run to the state and to any person who may have a cause of action against the principal obligor of the bond for any liability arising out of a violation by the obligor of any provision of this chapter or any rule adopted pursuant to this chapter.(C) The attorney general may refuse to issue a manufacturer license to any person to which any of the following applies, or to any person that has an officer, partner, or other person who has an ownership interest of ten per cent or more and to whom any of the following applies: (1) The person, officer, or partner has been convicted of a disqualifying offense as determined in accordance with section 9.79 of the Revised Code.(2) The person, officer, or partner has made an incorrect or false statement that is material to the granting of a license in an application submitted to the attorney general under this section or in a similar application submitted to a gambling licensing authority in another jurisdiction if the statement resulted in license revocation through administrative action in the other jurisdiction.(3) The person, officer, or partner has submitted any incorrect or false information relating to the application to the attorney general under this section, if the information is material to the granting of the license.(4) The person, officer, or partner has failed to correct any incorrect or false information that is material to the granting of the license in the records required to be maintained under division (G) of section 2915.10 of the Revised Code.(5) The person, officer, or partner has had a license related to gambling revoked or suspended under the laws of this state, another state, or the United States.(6) The attorney general has good cause to believe that the person, officer, or partner has committed a breach of fiduciary duty, theft, or other type of misconduct, related to a charitable organization that has obtained a bingo license under this chapter.(D)(1) No manufacturer shall sell, offer to sell, or otherwise provide or offer to provide bingo supplies to any person for use in this state except to a distributor that has been issued a license under section 2915.081 of the Revised Code. No manufacturer shall accept payment for the sale of bingo supplies other than by check or electronic fund transfer. (2) No manufacturer shall knowingly solicit, offer, pay, or receive any kickback, bribe, or undocumented rebate, directly or indirectly, overtly or covertly, in cash or in kind, in return for providing bingo supplies to any person in this state.(E)(1) No manufacturer shall knowingly sell, offer to sell, or otherwise provide or offer to provide an electronic instant bingo system to any person for use in this state, or submit an electronic instant bingo system for testing and approval under section 2915.15 of the Revised Code, without first obtaining an electronic instant bingo manufacturer endorsement to the person's manufacturer license issued under this section. An applicant for a manufacturer license under this section may apply simultaneously for an electronic instant bingo manufacturer endorsement to that license.(2) A manufacturer licensed under this section may only sell, offer to sell, or otherwise provide or offer to provide electronic instant bingo systems that contain proprietary software owned by or licensed to the manufacturer. If the proprietary software is licensed to the manufacturer, the manufacturer shall provide a copy of the license along with the application for an endorsement under this section. (3) An applicant for an electronic instant bingo manufacturer endorsement shall submit the application on a form prescribed by the attorney general and shall submit one complete set of fingerprints directly to the superintendent of the bureau of criminal identification and investigation for the purpose of conducting a criminal records check. The applicant shall provide the fingerprints using a method the superintendent prescribes pursuant to division (C)(2) of section 109.572 of the Revised Code and shall fill out the form the superintendent prescribes pursuant to division (C)(1) of that section. Upon receiving an application for an electronic instant bingo manufacturer endorsement, the attorney general shall request the superintendent, or a vendor approved by the bureau, to conduct a criminal records check based on the applicant's fingerprint impressions in accordance with division (A)(18) of that section. The applicant shall pay any fee required under division (C)(3) of that section.(4) The attorney general shall not issue an electronic instant bingo manufacturer endorsement to an applicant unless the attorney general has received the results of the criminal records check described in division (E)(3) of this section. The attorney general shall not issue an electronic instant bingo manufacturer endorsement to an applicant if the applicant, any officer or partner of the applicant, or any person who has an ownership interest of ten per cent or more in the applicant has violated any existing or former law or rule of this state, any other state, or the United States that is substantially equivalent to any provision of this chapter or any rule adopted by the attorney general under this chapter.(F)(1) The attorney general may suspend, place limits, restrictions, or probationary conditions on, or revoke a manufacturer license or an electronic instant bingo manufacturer endorsement for a limited or indefinite period of time for any of the following reasons: (a) Any reason for which the attorney general may refuse to issue the license or endorsement; (b) The manufacturer holding the license or endorsement violates any provision of this chapter or any rule adopted by the attorney general under this chapter;(c) The manufacturer or any officer, partner, or other person who has an ownership interest of ten per cent or more in the manufacturer is convicted of either of the following: (i) A felony under the laws of this state, another state, or the United States;(ii) Any gambling offense.(2) The attorney general may perform an onsite inspection of a manufacturer of bingo supplies that is selling, offering to sell, or otherwise providing or offering to provide bingo supplies or that is applying for a license to sell, offer to sell, or otherwise provide or offer to provide bingo supplies in this state.(3)(a) The attorney general shall establish by rule an application and renewal fee for an electronic instant bingo manufacturer endorsement in an amount sufficient to cover the costs the attorney general incurs in processing applications for electronic instant bingo manufacturer endorsements and investigating an applicant's suitability.(b) If the cost of processing a particular application and investigating the applicant's suitability exceeds the amount of the application and renewal fee, the attorney general may charge the applicant an additional fee as necessary to cover that cost.(c) The attorney general shall not issue an electronic instant bingo manufacturer endorsement unless the attorney general has received payment in full from the applicant for all fees to be charged under this section.(G) The attorney general may adopt rules for the application, acceptance, denial, suspension, revocation, limitation, restriction, or condition of a manufacturer license or endorsement described in this section, and to enforce any other provisions of this section, in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code.(H) The attorney general may impose a civil fine on a manufacturer licensed or permitted under this chapter for failure to comply with any restrictions, limits, or probationary conditions on its license, and for failure to comply with this chapter or any rule adopted under this chapter, according to a schedule of fines that the attorney general shall adopt in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code.(I) Whoever violates division (A), (D), or (E) of this section is guilty of illegally operating as a manufacturer. Except as otherwise provided in this division, illegally operating as a manufacturer is a misdemeanor of the first degree. If the offender previously has been convicted of a violation of division (A), (D), or (E) of this section, illegally operating as a manufacturer is a felony of the fifth degree.Amended by 133rd General Assembly, HB 263,§1, eff. 10/9/2021.Amended by 134th General Assembly, HB 110,§101.01, eff. 9/30/2021.Amended by 128th General Assembly, HB 519, §1, eff. 9/10/2010.Effective Date: 07-01-2003 .