Kentucky Revised Statutes, Chapter 518 — Miscellaneous Crimes Affecting Businesses, Occupations, and Professions

Title L — Kentucky Penal Code

Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session.

The KRS database was last updated on 2026-09-01.

Title L Kentucky Penal Code

Chapter 518 Miscellaneous Crimes Affecting Businesses, Occupations, and Professions

518.010 Definitions for chapter.

The following definitions apply in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires:

(1) "Benefit" means gain or advantage to the beneficiary or to a third person pursuant to the desire or consent of the beneficiary.

(2) "Event" means a sports contest or other public performance to which the general public is not admitted without consideration.

(3) "Public performance" means any form of entertainment other than a sports contest involving machines, persons, animals, or objects that is viewed by the public.

(4) "Sports contest" means any professional or amateur sport, athletic game or contest, or race or contest involving machines, persons, animals, or objects that is viewed by the public.

(5) "Sports official" means any person who acts or expects to act in a sports contest as an umpire, referee, or judge, or otherwise to officiate at a sports contest.

(6) "Sports participant" means any person who participates or expects to participate in a sports contest as a player, contestant, or member of a team, or as a coach, manager, trainer or other person directly associated with a player, contestant, or team.

Effective: July 15, 1998

History: Amended 1998 Ky. Acts ch. 259, sec. 10, effective July 15, 1998. -- Amended 1994 Ky. Acts ch. 324, sec. 1, effective July 15, 1994. -- Amended 1988 Ky. Acts ch. 286, sec. 2, effective July 15, 1988. -- Amended 1978 Ky. Acts ch. 78, sec. 5, effective June 17, 1978. -- Created 1974 Ky. Acts ch. 406, sec. 156, effective January 1, 1975.

518.020 Commercial bribery.

(1) A person is guilty of commercial bribery when he:

(a) Offers, confers or agrees to confer any benefit upon any employee or agent without the consent of the latter's employer or principal with intent to influence his conduct contrary to his employer's or principal's best interests; or

(b) Offers, confers or agrees to confer any benefit upon any fiduciary without the consent of the latter's beneficiary with intent to influence him to act or conduct himself contrary to his fiduciary obligation.

(2) Commercial bribery is a Class A misdemeanor.

Effective: January 1, 1975

History: Created 1974 Ky. Acts ch. 406, sec. 157, effective January 1, 1975.

518.030 Receiving commercial bribe.

(1) A person is guilty of receiving a commercial bribe when:

(a) As an employee or agent, and without the consent of his employer or principal, he knowingly solicits, accepts or agrees to accept any benefit from another person upon an agreement or understanding that the benefit will influence his conduct contrary to his employer's or principal's best interest; or

(b) As a fiduciary, and without the consent of his beneficiary, he knowingly solicits, accepts or agrees to accept any benefit from another person upon an agreement or understanding that the benefit will influence his conduct contrary to his fiduciary obligation.

(2) Receiving a commercial bribe is a Class A misdemeanor.

Effective: January 1, 1975

History: Created 1974 Ky. Acts ch. 406, sec. 158, effective January 1, 1975.

518.040 Sports bribery.

(1) A person is guilty of sports bribery when he:

(a) Offers, confers or agrees to confer any benefit upon a sports participant with intent to influence him not to give his best efforts in a sports contest; or

(b) Offers, confers or agrees to confer any benefit upon a sports official with intent to influence him to perform his duties improperly.

(2) Sports bribery is a Class D felony.

Effective: January 1, 1975

History: Created 1974 Ky. Acts ch. 406, sec. 159, effective January 1, 1975.

518.050 Receiving sports bribe.

(1) A person is guilty of receiving a sports bribe when:

(a) Being a sports participant, he knowingly solicits, accepts or agrees to accept any benefit from another person upon an agreement or understanding that he will thereby be influenced not to give his best efforts in a sports contest; or

(b) Being a sports official, he knowingly solicits, accepts or agrees to accept any benefit from another person upon an agreement or understanding that he will perform his duties improperly.

(2) Receiving a sports bribe is a Class D felony.

Effective: January 1, 1975

History: Created 1974 Ky. Acts ch. 406, sec. 160, effective January 1, 1975.

518.060 Tampering with or rigging sports contest.

(1) A person is guilty of tampering with or rigging a sports contest when, with intent to influence the outcome of a sports contest, he or she:

(a) Tampers with any sports participant or sports official or with any animal other than a horse, equipment, or other thing involved in the conduct or operation of a sports contest in a manner contrary to the rules governing the sports contest in question; or

(b) Substitutes a sports participant, animal, other than a horse, equipment, or other thing involved in the conduct or operation of a sports contest for the genuine person, animal, or thing.

(2) Tampering with or rigging a sports contest is a Class A misdemeanor.

Effective: July 15, 1998

History: Amended 1998 Ky. Acts ch. 342, sec. 2, effective July 15, 1998. -- Created 1974 Ky. Acts ch. 406, sec. 161, effective January 1, 1975.

518.070 Ticket scalping.

(1) A person is guilty of ticket scalping when he intentionally sells or offers to sell a ticket to an event at a price greater than that charged at the place of admission or printed on the ticket, unless authorized by the issuer or by law.

(2) Ticket scalping is a violation.

Effective: January 1, 1975

History: Created 1974 Ky. Acts ch. 406, sec. 162, effective January 1, 1975.

518.080 Repealed, 1998.

[Repealed]

518.090 Assault of sports official.

(1) A person is guilty of assault of a sports official when he intentionally causes physical injury to a sports official:

(a) Who was performing sports official duties at the time the physical injury was perpetrated; or

(b) If the physical injury occurs while the sports official is arriving at or departing from the athletic facility at which the athletic event occurred.

(2) For the purposes of this section, "sports official" means an individual who serves as a referee, umpire, linesman, or in a similar capacity that may be known by another title, and who is duly registered as or is a member of a national, state, regional, or local organization engaged, in part, in providing education and training to sports officials.

(3) A person who is guilty of assault of a sports official shall, for a first offense, be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor, unless the defendant assembles with five (5) or more persons for the purpose of assaulting a sports official, in which case it is a Class D felony.

(4) A person who is guilty of assault of a sport official shall, for a second or subsequent offense, be guilty of a Class D felony.

Effective: July 15, 1998

History: Created 1998 Ky. Acts ch. 508, sec. 1, effective July 15, 1998.