Article 51.

Protection of Athletic Contests.

§ 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 or 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 punished as a Class I felon. (1921, c. 23, s. 1; C.S., s. 4499(a); 1951, c. 364, s. 1; 1961, c. 1054, s. 1; 1979, c. 760, s. 5; 1979, 2nd Sess., c. 1316, s. 47; 1981, c. 63, s. 1, c. 179, s. 14; 1993, c. 539, s. 1238; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 24, s. 14(c).)

 

§ 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 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 punished as a Class I felon. (1921, c. 23, s. 2; C.S., s. 4499(b); 1951, c. 364, s. 2; 1961, c. 1054, s. 2; 1979, c. 760, s. 5; 1979, 2nd Sess., c. 1316, s. 47; 1981, c. 63, s. 1, c. 179, s. 14; 1993, c. 539, s. 1239; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 24, s. 14(c).)

 

§ 14-375.  Completion of offenses set out in §§ 14-373 and 14-374.

To complete the offenses mentioned in G.S. 14-373 and 14-374, it shall not be necessary that the player, manager, coach, referee, umpire, or official shall, at the time, have been actually employed, selected, or appointed to perform his respective duties; it shall be sufficient if the bribe be offered, accepted, or agreed to with the view of probable employment, selection, or appointment of the person to whom the bribe is offered or by whom it is accepted. It shall not be necessary that such player, referee, umpire, manager, coach, or other official actually play or participate in any athletic contest, concerning which said bribe is offered or accepted; it shall be sufficient if the bribe be given, offered, or accepted in view of his or their possibly participating therein. (1921, c. 23, s. 3; C.S., s. 4499(c); 1951, c. 364, s. 3; 1961, c. 1054, s. 3.)

 

§ 14-376.  Bribe defined.

By a "bribe," as used in this article, is meant any gift, emolument, money or thing of value, testimonial, privilege, appointment or personal advantage, or in the promise of either, bestowed or promised for the purpose of influencing, directly or indirectly, any player, referee, manager, coach, umpire, club or league official, to see which game an admission fee may be charged, or in which athletic contest any player, manager, coach, umpire, referee, or other official is paid any compensation for his services. Said bribe as defined in this article need not be direct; it may be such as is hidden under the semblance of a sale, bet, wager, payment of a debt, or in any other manner defined to cover the true intention of the parties. (1921, c. 23, s. 4; C.S., s. 4499(d); 1951, c. 364, s. 4; 1961, c. 1054, s. 4.)

 

§ 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 referees, 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 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 punished as a Class I felon. (1921, c. 23, s. 5; C.S., s. 4499(e); 1951, c. 364, s. 5; 1961, c. 1054, s. 5; 1979, c. 760, s. 5; 1979, 2nd Sess., c. 1316, s. 47; 1981, c. 63, s. 1, c. 179, s. 14; 1993, c. 539, s. 1240; 1994, Ex. Sess., c. 24, s. 14(c).)

 

§ 14-378.  Venue.

In all prosecutions under this Article, the venue may be laid in any county where the bribe herein referred to was given, offered, or accepted, or in which the athletic contest was carried on in relation to which the bribe was offered, given, or accepted, or the acts referred to in G.S. 14-377 were committed. (1921, c. 23, s. 6; C.S., s. 4606(c); 1951, c. 364, s. 6.)

 

§ 14-379.  Bonus or extra compensation not forbidden.

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. (1921, c. 23, s. 7; C.S., s. 4499(f); 1951, c. 364, s. 7; 1961, c. 1054, s. 6.)

 

§ 14-380.  Repealed by Session Laws 1951, c. 364, s. 8.