GAMBLING

Indianapolis-Marion County Revised Code tit. II, ch. 351

in effect

Indianapolis-Marion County Revised Code § 351-1 Legislative intent.

Sec. 351-1. - Legislative intent. Gambling in the city is declared to be contrary to the municipal welfare; a cause of hardship to the families of those who gamble; and a detriment to municipal and official morality; and the provisions of this article are intended and shall be construed to aid and supplement the statutes and policy of the state thereon. (Code 1975, § 20-162)

Indianapolis-Marion County Revised Code § 351-2 Pools, policy or lotteries.

Sec. 351-2. - Pools, policy or lotteries. (a) No person shall, directly or indirectly, keep, occupy, use, rent, lease or permit the use of any street, park or other public place, or any private vacant land, tent, place or structure in the city, upon which he, or any other person acting for him or with his knowledge, uses or controls any device, table or apparatus for and in any scheme conducted as a lottery, or for pool or policy playing, or for the purchase, sale, exchange or redemption at any such places of what are commonly called lottery, pool or policy tickets, which tickets are to be used by him for his participation in or in the conduct of a policy game, pool or lottery in the city. (b) It shall be unlawful for any person to receive money or any other valuable consideration as the owner, operator or agent of any activity prohibited by subsection (a), or to pay anything for the privilege of playing or participating in any lottery, pool or policy scheme by means of tickets or any writing, paper or documents to be used therein in the nature of a bet, wager or insurance for the chance of winning anything of value, dependent upon the drawing or drawn numbers of any lottery, pool or policy game, or based on the outcome, real or fictitious, of any race or of any event or combination of events, athletic or otherwise. (c) It shall be unlawful for any person, except a police or other public officer so acting in the course of his duties, to have in his possession or control any ticket, slip, sheet, writing, paper, print, numbers or device to be used by him in either operating or participating in any pool, policy or lottery scheme, or which were purchased by or for him as representing or being a record of any chance, shoe or interest so held by him or for his benefit and to be used by or for him for participation in numbers sold, drawn or to be drawn, or otherwise determined, in a scheme which is commonly called "policy" or "pool," or upon the outcome of a race or athletic event. (d) It shall be unlawful for any person, except a police officer in the line of duty, to possess any slip, sheet, ticket or record containing information thereon as to when, where and how such ticket is to be so used by him in the nature of a bet, wager, insurance or chance of winning any kind of reward or prize, based upon the drawing or drawn numbers or symbols, and dependent upon the outcome of any race, athletic game or event, or on the drawing for the prizes or awards in any public or private lottery, pool or policy game operated in any manner in the city. (Code 1975, § 20-163)

Indianapolis-Marion County Revised Code § 351-3 Football or basketball pool or lottery tickets.

Sec. 351-3. - Football or basketball pool or lottery tickets. Any ticket or slip sold and used in a scheme of chance containing a list of the names of colleges or other schools playing games of football, basketball or other athletic events, or a list of professional football, hockey or basketball teams, and containing a statement that a certain number of college, school or professional teams shall be selected from the total thereof, or containing some symbol or name identifying the operator or promoter of such scheme and referring to the result of any such game or games on a certain day, shall constitute, prima facie, a gaming device, usable and intended for such use, by any person buying and so possessing it for no other purpose except to confer an interest in a football, hockey or basketball pool, policy or lottery, and payable on the outcome of a certain combination of any or all such athletic contests or events. (Code 1975, § 20-164)

Indianapolis-Marion County Revised Code § 351-4 Objects constituting prima facie pool, policy or lottery tickets.

Sec. 351-4. - Objects constituting prima facie pool, policy or lottery tickets. Any ticket or slip which is so designed as to contain the names, or the abbreviations thereof, of the cities having baseball teams in the American, National, American Association or any other baseball league, and is based upon any combination, in a list containing the days of the week, of scores in baseball games at any such times; or having a serial or other number thereon designating or identifying any pool, policy or lottery by the name of a person or any group thereof or organization, or of a physical characteristic or nickname of a person or anything else, or any symbol such as a moon or part moon, a horseshoe, a four-leaf clover, lightning or any other identifying symbol, or indicating a number of winners, such as "3 in 24," "2 out of 3," "3 high," "high 3" or "high 2," "3 way," or any other combination; and where any such ticket or slip is so made, designed and used by being folded or arranged adhesively or otherwise so that the combination of the names of the cities so listed, or the abbreviations thereof, or any such aforesaid kind of symbol thereon, cannot be seen when so folded; shall constitute, prima facie, a gaming device usable and so intended for such use by any person buying and possessing the same, for no other purpose than as a representation of an interest or share by him in the result of any baseball pool, policy or lottery scheme. (Code 1975, § 20-165)

Indianapolis-Marion County Revised Code § 351-5 Horseracing gambling devices.

Sec. 351-5. - Horseracing gambling devices. (a) Any sheet, pamphlet, paper or other device containing the racing record of certain horses identified as racing at certain racetracks on certain days, but any of which is marked additionally with any kind of notations or figures indicating the odds or prices that would be paid upon such horses if winning certain places in such race on the basis of a bet placed thereon at the track on that day, shall constitute, prima facie, an instrument or device for such kind of gambling. (b) Any ticket or slip listing the name of a certain race horse, together with the number of the race and the name of the track or indicating such by numerals, abbreviations or symbols, when used in conjunction with marked racing forms, whether or not marked with the amount wagered, shall constitute, prima facie, a writing or device evidencing a bet or wager on the outcome of the horse race; and the possession of such writing or device by anyone so intending to use the same shall be a violation of this section. (Code 1975, § 20-166)

Indianapolis-Marion County Revised Code § 351-6 Other gambling, pool or lottery tickets.

Sec. 351-6. - Other gambling, pool or lottery tickets. Any ticket or slip which is so intended and designed that a number thereon will win something of value when figures on the ticket or slip correspond with certain figures representing the total of certain daily statistics, such as the federal treasury balance, Indianapolis Clearing House total figure, or any like daily statistics, and where the holder will thereupon receive out of a pool or lottery a certain award; also, any card, ticket or slip with a number thereon or containing a symbol, name or mark identifying it with any known pool, policy or lottery in operation in the city and designed to be so used by the holder; shall constitute, prima facie, in each such instance, pool, policy or lottery tickets and devices for such gambling. (Code 1975, § 20-167)

Indianapolis-Marion County Revised Code § 351-7 Transporting gambling devices.

Sec. 351-7. - Transporting gambling devices. It shall be a violation of this chapter for any person to transport, or bring into this city, for any of the purposes or uses prohibited by this chapter any prima facie instrument or device for any such use by him in operating or participating in any kind of gambling. (Code 1975, § 20-168)

Indianapolis-Marion County Revised Code § 351-8 Confiscation of devices; action to destroy.

Sec. 351-8. - Confiscation of devices; action to destroy. (a) Any member of the police department, upon finding any gambling slips, writing, record, tickets, forms or devices described in this chapter in the possession of any person for his use, shall forthwith bring such articles to the police station and impound them as evidence at the trial of such person. (b) The corporation counsel shall thereupon file an action in the municipal court, or other court having jurisdiction of such offenses, for the destruction of such tickets, devices or other implements of gambling, as prescribed in state law. (Code 1975, § 20-169)

Indianapolis-Marion County Revised Code § 351-9 Penalty for violation, destruction of devices.

Sec. 351-9. - Penalty for violation, destruction of devices. (a) Any person possessing for his use any ticket or other device prohibited by this article shall be punished as prescribed in section 103-3. (b) Upon conviction for any violation of this chapter, all such tickets or other devices named or referred to in this chapter, if so ordered by the court, shall be destroyed. (Code 1975, § 20-170)

Source: Consolidated City of Indianapolis and Marion County, Revised Code (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/in/indianapolis_-_marion_county/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TITIIPUORSA_CH351GAFetched: 10/27/2026