Section 481. Investigation; matters to be determined; issuance of license; fees; duration of license

1. The governing  body  of  the  municipality  shall  make an investigation of the qualifications of each applicant and
  the merits of each application, with due expedition after the filing  of
  the application.
    (a)  Issuance  of  licenses to conduct bingo. If the governing body of
  the municipality shall determine that the applicant is duly qualified to
  be licensed to conduct bingo under this  article;  that  the  member  or
  members  of the applicant designated in the application to conduct bingo
  are bona fide active members of the applicant and are  persons  of  good
  moral  character  and  have  never  been  convicted  of  a  crime or, if
  convicted, have received a pardon or a certificate of good conduct; that
  such games are to be conducted in accordance with the provisions of this
  article and  in  accordance  with  the  rules  and  regulations  of  the
  commission,  and  that  the  proceeds  thereof  are to be disposed of as
  provided by this article, and if the governing body is satisfied that no
  commission, salary, compensation, reward or recompense whatever will  be
  paid  or  given  to  any  person  holding,  operating  or  conducting or
  assisting in the holding, operation and conduct of any such games except
  as in this article otherwise provided; and that no prize will be offered
  and given in excess of the sum or value of one thousand dollars  in  any
  single  game  and  that the aggregate of all prizes offered and given in
  all of such games conducted on a single  occasion,  under  said  license
  shall  not  exceed  the sum or value of three thousand dollars, it shall
  issue a license to the applicant for the conduct of bingo  upon  payment
  of  a  license  fee  of eighteen dollars and seventy-five cents for each
  bingo occasion; provided, however, that the governing body shall  refuse
  to  issue a license to an applicant seeking to conduct bingo in premises
  of a licensed commercial lessor where it determines  that  the  premises
  presently  owned  or  occupied  by  said  applicant are in every respect
  adequate and suitable for conducting bingo games.
    (b) Issuance of licenses to commercial lessors. If the governing  body
  of  the municipality shall determine that the applicant seeking to lease
  a  hall  or  premises  for  the  conduct  of  bingo  to  an   authorized
  organization  is  duly qualified to be licensed under this article; that
  the applicant satisfies the requirements for  an  authorized  commercial
  lessor  as  defined in section four hundred seventy-six that at the time
  of the issuance of  an  initial  license,  the  governing  body  of  the
  municipality  shall  find  and determine that there is a public need and
  that public advantage will be served by the issuance  of  such  license;
  that  the applicant has filed its proposed rent for each bingo occasion;
  that the commission has approved as fair and reasonable  a  schedule  of
  maximum  rentals  for  each such occasion; that there is no diversion of
  the funds of the proposed lessee from the lawful purposes as defined  in
  this  article;  and  that  such  leasing  of  a hall or premises for the
  conduct of bingo is to be in accordance  with  the  provisions  of  this
  article  and  in  accordance  with  the  rules  and  regulations  of the
  commission, it shall issue a license permitting the applicant  to  lease
  said premises for the conduct of bingo to the authorized organization or
  organizations  specified  in  the  application during the period therein
  specified  or  such  shorter  period  as  the  governing  body  of   the
  municipality  shall  determine, but not to exceed one year, upon payment
  of a license fee of ten dollars plus an amount based upon the  aggregate
  rent  specified  in  the  license  and determined in accordance with the
  following schedule:
 
       aggregate rental of $100 to $499 ....................... $5.00
       aggregate rental of $500 to $999 ...................... $25.00

       aggregate rental of $1,000 to $2,499 .................. $50.00
       aggregate rental of $2,500 to $4,999 ................. $125.00
       aggregate rental of $5,000 to $9,999 ................. $250.00
       aggregate rental of $10,000 to $49,999 ............... $500.00
       aggregate rental of $50,000 to $100,000 ............ $2,500.00
       aggregate rental in excess of $100,000 ............. $5,000.00
 
    2.  On or before the thirtieth day of each month, the treasurer of the
  municipality shall transmit to the state  comptroller  a  sum  equal  to
  fifty  percent  of  all  commercial  lessor  license fees and the sum of
  eleven dollars and twenty-five cents per occasion of  all  license  fees
  for the conduct of bingo collected by such municipality pursuant to this
  section during the preceding calendar month.
    3.  No  license  shall  be  issued  under  this article which shall be
  effective for a period of more than one year. In  the  case  of  limited
  period bingo, no license shall be issued authorizing the conduct of such
  games on more than two occasions in any one day nor shall any license be
  issued  under this article which shall be effective for a period of more
  than seven of twelve consecutive days in any one year.  No  license  for
  the  conduct  of limited period bingo shall be issued in cities having a
  population of one million or more.