9-352.

Violations; penalties; enforcement; venue.

(1) Except when another penalty is specifically provided, any person or licensee, or employee or agent thereof, who violates any provision of the Nebraska Pickle Card Lottery Act, or who causes, aids, abets, or conspires with another to cause any person or licensee or any employee or agent thereof to violate the act, shall be guilty of a Class I misdemeanor for the first offense and a Class IV felony for any second or subsequent violation. Any licensee guilty of violating any provision of the act more than once in a twelve-month period may have its license canceled or revoked. Such matters may also be referred to any other state licensing agencies for appropriate action.

(2) Each of the following violations of the Nebraska Pickle Card Lottery Act shall be a Class IV felony:

(a) Giving, providing, or offering to give or provide, directly or indirectly, to any public official, employee, or agent of this state, or any agencies or political subdivisions of this state, any compensation or reward or share of the money for property paid or received through gambling activities regulated under Chapter 9 in consideration for obtaining any license, authorization, permission, or privilege to participate in any gaming operations except as authorized under Chapter 9 or any rules and regulations adopted and promulgated pursuant to such chapter;

(b) Making or receiving payment of a portion of the purchase price of pickle cards by a seller of pickle cards to a buyer of pickle cards to induce the purchase of pickle cards or to improperly influence future purchases of pickle cards;

(c) Using bogus, counterfeit, or nonopaque pickle cards, pull tabs, break opens, punchboards, jar tickets, or any other similar card, board, or ticket or substituting or using any pickle cards, pull tabs, or jar tickets that have been marked or tampered with;

(d) Knowingly filing a false report under the Nebraska Pickle Card Lottery Act;

(e) Knowingly falsifying or making any false entry in any books or records with respect to any transaction connected with the conduct of a lottery by the sale of pickle cards; or

(f) Knowingly selling or distributing or knowingly receiving with intent to sell or distribute pickle cards or pickle card units without first obtaining a license in accordance with the Nebraska Pickle Card Lottery Act pursuant to section 9-329, 9-329.03, 9-330, or 9-332.

(3) Intentionally employing or possessing any device to facilitate cheating in any lottery by the sale of pickle cards or use of any fraudulent scheme or technique in connection with any lottery by the sale of pickle cards is a violation of the Nebraska Pickle Card Lottery Act. The offense is a:

(a) Class II misdemeanor when the amount gained or intended to be gained through the use of such items, schemes, or techniques is less than five hundred dollars;

(b) Class I misdemeanor when the amount gained or intended to be gained through the use of such items, schemes, or techniques is five hundred dollars or more but less than one thousand five hundred dollars; and

(c) Class IV felony when the amount gained or intended to be gained through the use of such items, schemes, or techniques is one thousand five hundred dollars or more.

(4) In all proceedings initiated in any court or otherwise under the act, it shall be the duty of the Attorney General and appropriate county attorney to prosecute and defend all such proceedings.

(5) The failure to do any act required by or under the Nebraska Pickle Card Lottery Act shall be deemed an act in part in the principal office of the department. Any prosecution under such act may be conducted in any county where the defendant resides or has a place of business or in any county in which any violation occurred.

(6) In the enforcement and investigation of any offense committed under the act, the department may call to its aid any sheriff, deputy sheriff, or other peace officer in the state.