REPUBLIC ACT NO. 954 - AN ACT TO PROHIBIT CERTAIN ACTIVITIES IN CONNECTION WITH HORSE RACES AND BASQUE PELOTA GAMES (JAI-ALAI), AND TO PRESCRIBE PENALTIES FOR ITS VIOLATION.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. No person or group of persons, other than a person, race-track, racing club or any other entity duly licensed by the Games and Amusements Board to conduct a horse race, shall offer, take or arrange bets on any horse or maintain or use a totalizator or other device, method or system to bet or gamble on any horse race.

SEC. 2. No person, race-track, racing club or any other entity duly licensed by the Games and Amusements Board to conduct a horse race shall offer, take or arrange beta on any horse race, or maintain or use a totalizator or other device, method or system to bet or gamble on any horse race outside the place, enclosure, or track where the race is held.

SEC. 3. No person or group of persons shall fix a race for the purpose of insuring the winning of certain determined horse or horses.

SEC. 4. No person, or group of persons, other than the operator or maintainer of a fronton with legislative franchise to conduct basque pelota games (Jai-Alai), shall offer, take or arrange bets on any basque pelota game or event, or maintain or use a totalizator or other device, method or system to bet or gamble on any basque pelota game or event.

SEC. 5. No person, operator, or maintainer of a fronton with legislative franchise to conduct basque pelota games shall offer, take or arrange bets on any basque pelota game or event, or maintain or use a totalizator or other device, method or system to bet or gamble on any basque pelota game or event outside the place, enclosure, or fronton where the basque pelota game is held.

SEC. 6. No person or group of persons shall fix a basque pelota game for the purpose of insuring the winning of certain determined pelotari or pelotaris.

SEC. 7. Any violation of this Act shall be punished by a fine of not more than two thousand pesos or by imprisonment for not more than six months, or both, in the discretion of the court. If the offender is a partnership, corporation or association, the criminal liability shall devolve upon its president, director, or any other official responsible for the violation.

SEC. 8. This Act shall take effect on January first, nineteen hundred and fifty-four.

Approved, June 20, 1953.