§47-21-12. Compensation.

(a) A licensee may pay a salary, the minimum of which is the federal minimum wage and the maximum of which is not more than one hundred and twenty percent of the state minimum wage to operators of charitable raffle games who are either:

(1) Active members of the licensee organization and who have been active members in good standing for at least two years prior to the date of filing of the application for a charitable raffle license or the most recent filing of an application for renewal of the license; or

(2) Employees of the licensee organization or its authorized auxiliary organization who are:

(A) Residents of this state;

(B) Residents of a state bordering this state if the county of his or her residence is contiguous to the county in this state in which the raffle operation is conducted; or

(C) Residents of a bordering state who reside within thirty-five miles of the county in which the raffle operation is conducted.

(b) If the licensee's gross receipts from raffle occasions equal or exceed $100,000 for the licensee's most recently filed annual financial report, a salary may be paid to not more than eight operators.

(c) If the licensee's gross receipts from charitable raffle occasions are less than $100,000, but equal or exceed $50,000 for the licensee's most recently filed annual financial report, a salary may be paid to not more than five operators.

(d) If the licensee's gross receipts from charitable raffle occasions are less than $50,000 for the licensee's most recently filed annual financial report, a salary may be paid to no more than three operators.

(e) In the case of a licensee lawfully holding a charitable bingo occasion simultaneously with a charitable raffle occasion, the number of paid charitable raffle operator employees allowed under this limitation for charitable raffle licensees is in addition to the number of charitable bingo operator employees allowed under section twelve-a, article twenty of this chapter. Licensees holding simultaneous occasions shall pay bingo operators from the proceeds of bingo operations and shall pay raffle operators from the proceeds of raffle operations and the charitable bingo fund and the charitable raffle fund and payments from the funds may not be commingled.

(f) For purposes of the limitations set forth in this section, the term "operator" or "bingo operator" or "raffle operator" do not include concession stand workers. Wages paid to concession workers may not exceed more than one hundred and twenty percent of the state minimum wage.