§ 157-1. Legislative intent.

The Council hereby declares that the raising of funds for the promotion of bona fide charitable, educational, scientific, health, religious and patriotic causes and undertakings, where the beneficiaries are undetermined, is in the public interest. It hereby finds that, as conducted prior to the enactment of this chapter, games of chance were the subject of exploitation by professional gamblers, promoters and commercial interests, it is hereby declared to be the policy of the Council that all phases of, supervision, licensing and regulation of games of chance and the conduct of games of chance should be closely controlled and that the local laws and regulations pertaining thereto should be strictly construed and rigidly enforced; that the conduct of the games and all attendant activities should be so regulated and adequate controls so instituted as to discourage commercialization in all its forms, including the rental of commercial premises for games of chance and to ensure a maximum availability of the net proceeds of games of chance exclusively for application to the worthy causes and undertakings specified herein; that the only justification for this chapter is to foster and support such worthy causes and undertakings; and that the mandate of § 9 of Article I of the State Constitution, as amended, and of Article 9-A of the General Municipal Law, should be carried out by rigid regulations to prevent commercialized gambling, prevent participation by criminal and other undesirable elements and prevent the diversion of funds from the purposes herein authorized.