Section 50-27-78. Payment and collection of annual permit fee; permit stickers; treatment of fees

   (a) Every owner, except an owner holding a coin operated amusement machine solely for personal use or resale, who offers others the opportunity to play for a charge, whether direct or indirect, any bona fide coin operated amusement machine shall pay an annual permit fee for each bona fide coin operated amusement machine in the amount of $25.00 for each Class A machine and $125.00 for each Class B machine. The fee shall be paid to the corporation by company check, cash, cashier's check, money order, or any other method approved by the chief executive officer. Upon payment, the corporation shall issue a sticker for each bona fide coin operated amusement machine. The annual fees levied by this article shall be collected by the corporation on an annual basis for the period from July 1 to June 30. The board may establish procedures for annual collection and set due dates for the fee payments. No refund or credit of the annual fee levied by this article shall be allowed to any owner who ceases the exhibition or display of any bona fide coin operated amusement machine prior to the end of any license or permit period.

(b) The sticker issued by the corporation to evidence the payment of the fee under this Code section shall be securely attached to the machine. Owners may transfer stickers from one machine to another in the same class and from location to location so long as all machines in commercial use available for play by the public have a sticker of the correct class and the owner uses the stickers only for machines that it owns.

(c) Each permit sticker shall not list the name of the owner but shall have a control number which corresponds with the control number issued on the master license certificate to allow for effective monitoring of the licensing and permit system. Permit stickers are only required for bona fide coin operated amusement machines in commercial use available to the public for play at a location.

(d) The corporation may provide a duplicate permit sticker if a valid permit sticker has been lost, stolen, or destroyed. The fee for a duplicate permit sticker shall be $50.00. If a permit sticker is lost, stolen, or destroyed, a sworn, written statement must be submitted explaining the circumstances by which the permit sticker was lost, stolen, or destroyed and including the number of the lost, stolen, or destroyed permit before a replacement permit can be issued. A permit for which a duplicate permit sticker has been issued is void.

(e) Each permit sticker issued for a bona fide coin operated amusement machine which rewards a winning player exclusively with free replays, noncash redemption merchandise, prizes, toys, gift certificates, or novelties; or points, tokens, tickets, cards, or other evidence of winnings that may be exchanged for free replays or noncash redemption merchandise, prizes, toys, gift certificates, or novelties, in accordance with the provisions of subsections (b) through (d) of Code Section 16-12-35 shall include the following: "GEORGIA LAW PROHIBITS THE PAYMENT OR RECEIPT OF ANY MONEY FOR REPLAYS OR MERCHANDISE AWARDED FOR PLAYING THIS MACHINE. O.C.G.A. SECTION 16-12-35."

(f) The corporation shall not assess any fees that are not explicitly authorized under this article on a manufacturer, distributor, operator, location owner, or location operator.

(g) All fees assessed by the corporation pursuant to this article shall be considered proceeds derived from a lottery operated on or on behalf of the state and shall not be remitted to the general fund pursuant to Article I, Section II, Paragraph VIII(c) of the Constitution.

Code 1981, § 48-17-9, enacted by Ga. L. 1992, p. 1521, § 3; Ga. L. 1994, p. 834, § 2; Ga. L. 1998, p. 563, § 5; Ga. L. 2010, p. 9, § 1-90/HB 1055; Ga. L. 2010, p. 470, § 3/SB 454; Code 1981, § 50-27-78, as redesignated by Ga. L. 2013, p. 37, § 1-1/HB 487.