§ 36–601.22a. Monte Carlo night party.

(a) The Chief Financial Officer may authorize the operation of Monte Carlo night parties in the District of Columbia.

(b) A Monte Carlo night party means an event for raising funds for charitable purposes at which wagers are made, through the use of imitation money presented to a participant in exchange for a donation to the event, in games of chance customarily associated with a gambling casino and at which a participant may use any accumulated imitation money to purchase prizes at the end of the event. The term “Las Vegas night party” may also be used to describe this type of event.

(c) The Chief Financial Officer shall issue proposed rules, pursuant to subchapter I of Chapter 5 of Title 2, to implement the provisions of this section. In developing the proposed rules, the Chief Financial Officer shall not permit any person, firm, partnership, association, organization, or corporation to sponsor, conduct, or hold more than 2 Monte Carlo night parties in a calendar year, shall place a maximum monetary value amount on the prizes that may be offered, and shall mandate that there be no direct correlation between the amount of imitation money presented to a participant and the participant’s donation to the event. The proposed rules shall be submitted to the Council of the District of Columbia (“Council”) for a 45-day period of review, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, legal holidays, and days of Council recess. If the Council does not approve or disapprove the proposed rules, in whole or in part, by resolution within this 45-day review period, the proposed rules shall be deemed effective.