California Penal Code Section 334

CA Penal Code § 334 (2017)  

(a) Every person who owns or operates any concession, and who fraudulently obtains money from another by means of any hidden mechanical device or obstruction with intent to diminish the chance of any patron to win a prize, or by any other fraudulent means, shall be punished as in the case of theft of property of like value.

(b) Any person who manufactures or sells any mechanical device or obstruction for a concession which he knows or reasonably should know will be fraudulently used to diminish the chance of any patron to win a prize is guilty of a misdemeanor.

(c) Any person who owns or operates any game, at a fair or carnival of a type known as razzle-dazzle is guilty of a misdemeanor.

As used in this subdivision, “razzle-dazzle” means a series of games of skill or chance in which the player pays money or other valuable consideration in return for each opportunity to make successive attempts to obtain points by the use of dice, darts, marbles or other implements, and where such points are accumulated in successive games by the player toward a total number of points, determined by the operator, which is required for the player to win a prize or other valuable consideration.

(d) As used in this section, “concession” means any game or concession open to the public and operated for profit in which the patron pays a fee for participating and may receive a prize upon a later happening.

(e) Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit or preempt more restrictive regulation of any concession at a fair or carnival by any local governmental entity.

(Added by Stats. 1974, Ch. 626.)

Last modified: October 25, 2018