NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY
1961 SESSION

CHAPTER 1054
HOUSE BILL 685

AN ACT TO AMEND ARTICLE 51 OF CHAPTER 14 OF THE GENERAL STATUTES RELATING TO THE PROTECTION OF ATHLETIC CONTESTS.

The General Assembly of North Carolina do enact:

Section 1.  G.S. 14‑373 is hereby amended to read as follows:
"G.S. 14‑373.  Bribery of players, managers, coaches, referees, umpires or officials. If any person shall bribe or offer to bribe or shall aid, advise, or abet in any way another in such bribe or offer to bribe, any player or participant in any athletic contest with intent to influence his play, action, or conduct and for the purpose of inducing the player or participant to lose or try to lose or cause to be lost any athletic contest or to limit or try to limit the margin of victory or defeat in such contest; or if any person shall bribe or offer to bribe or shall aid, advise, or abet in any way another in such bribe or offer to bribe, any referee, umpire, manager, coach, or any other official of an athletic club or team, league, association, institution or conference, by whatever name called connected with said athletic contest with intent to influence his decision or bias his opinion or judgment for the purpose of losing or trying to lose or causing to be lost said athletic contest or of limiting or trying to limit the margin of victory or defeat in such contest, such person shall be guilty of a felony, and, upon conviction shall be imprisoned in the State's prison not less than one nor more than ten years, and shall be fined not less than three thousand dollars ($3,000.00), nor more than ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00)."
Sec. 2.  G.S. 14‑374 is hereby rewritten to read as follows:
"G.S. 14‑374.  Acceptance of bribes by players, managers, coaches, referees, umpires, or officials. If any player or participant in any athletic contest shall accept, or agree to accept, a bribe given for the purpose of inducing the player or participant to lose or try to lose or cause to be lost or to limit or try to limit the margin of victory or defeat in such contest; or if any referee, umpire, manager, coach, or any other official of an athletic club, team, league, association, institution, or conference connected with an athletic contest shall accept or agree to accept a bribe given with the intent to influence his decision or bias his opinion or judgment and for the purpose of losing or trying to lose or causing to be lost said athletic contest or of limiting or trying to limit the margin of victory or defeat in such contest, such person shall be guilty of a felony, and upon conviction shall be imprisoned in the State's prison not less than one nor more than ten years, or fined in the discretion of the court."
Sec. 3.  G.S. 14‑375 is hereby amended by inserting the word and punctuation "coach," immediately after the word and punctuation "manager," and immediately before the word "referee" in line 2; and by inserting the word and punctuation "coach," immediately after the word and punctuation "manager," and immediately before the word "or" in line 7.
Sec. 4.  G.S. 14‑376 is hereby amended by inserting the word and punctuation "coach," immediately after the word and punctuation "manager," and immediately before the word "umpire" in line 4; and by inserting the word and punctuation "coach," immediately after the word and punctuation "manager," and immediately before the word "umpire" in line 7.
Sec. 5.  G.S. 14‑377 is hereby rewritten to read as follows:
"G.S. 14‑377.  Intentional losing of athletic contest or limiting margin of victory or defeat. If any player or participant shall commit any willful act of omission or commission, in playing of an athletic contest, with intent to lose or try to lose or to cause to be lost or to limit or try to limit the margin of victory or defeat in such contest for the purpose of material gain to himself, or if any referee, umpire, manager, coach, or other official of an athletic club, team, league, association, institution or conference connected with an athletic contest shall commit any willful act of omission or commission connected with his official duties with intent to lose or try to lose or to cause to be lost or to limit or try to limit the margin of victory or defeat in such contest for the purpose of material gain to himself, such person shall be guilty of a felony and upon conviction shall be imprisoned in the State's prison, not less than one nor more than ten years, or fined in the discretion of the court."
Sec. 6.  G.S. 14‑379 is hereby rewritten to read as follows:
"G.S. 14‑379.  Bonus or extra compensation. Nothing in this Article shall be construed to prohibit the giving or offering of any bonus or extra compensation to any manager, coach, or professional player, or to any league, association, or conference for the purpose of encouraging such manager, coach, or player to a higher degree of skill, ability, or diligence in the performance of his duties."
Sec. 7.  Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Act, this Act shall not be construed as repealing any provision of Article 51 of Chapter 14 of the General Statutes as said Article reads or provided immediately preceding the ratification of this Act with respect to any act done or offense committed in violation of said Article prior to the ratification of this Act, and the provisions of said Article 51 in effect immediately preceding the ratification of this Act shall continue in full force and effect with respect to all acts done or offenses committed prior to the ratification of this Act.
Sec. 8.  This Act shall be in full force and effect from and after its ratification.
In the General Assembly read three times and ratified, this the 19th day of June, 1961.