--- title: O.C.G.A. § 16-12-62. Penalties. collection: code id: 16-12-62 cite_as: O.C.G.A. § 16-12-62 (2025) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/16-12-62 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/16-12-62.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/code/16-12-62/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/api/document/docs/default-source/joint-features-document-library/t16-ch12-17-(v14b)-2024-pdf.pdf?sfvrsn=a591fa7b_0#page=92 date: 2025 status: active corpus_version: 2025-supplement-89aa39ab3c68 license: CC0-1.0 publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/code/16-12.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/code/16-12-61.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/code/16-12-63.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/code/index.md version: the only printed version in_force: true current_through: Including Acts of the 2025 Regular Session of the General Assembly heading_path: CRIMES AND OFFENSES / OFFENSES AGAINST PUBLIC HEALTH AND MORALS / GAMBLING AND RELATED OFFENSES / BINGO --- # O.C.G.A. § 16-12-62. Penalties. Any person who operates a bingo game for which a license is required without a valid license issued by the Secretary of State as provided in this part commits the offense of commercial gambling as defined in Code Section 16-12-22 and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished accordingly. Any person who knowingly aids, abets, or otherwise assists in the operation of a bingo game for which a license is required and has not been obtained as provided in this part similarly commits the offense of commercial gambling. Any person who violates any other provision of this part, including the provisions relating to recreational bingo, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature. Any person who commits any such violation after having previously been convicted of any violations of this part shall be guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than one nor more than five years or by a fine not to exceed $10,000.00, or both. ## History Ga. L. 1977, p. 1164, § 10; Ga. L. 1980, p. 422, § 10; Ga. L. 1993, p. 535, § 4; Ga. L. 2021, p. 394, § 9/HB 410.