Senate Bill sb1086c1

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    Florida Senate - 2004                           CS for SB 1086

    By the Committee on Regulated Industries; and Senator Geller





    315-1360-04

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to cardrooms; amending s.

  3         849.086, F.S.; providing a definition;

  4         authorizing cardroom operators to host

  5         high-stakes poker tournaments at certain

  6         pari-mutuel facilities; providing limitations;

  7         providing an effective date.

  8  

  9  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

10  

11         Section 1.  Subsection (2) of section 849.086, Florida

12  Statutes, is amended, present subsections (9) through (17) are

13  redesignated as subsections (10) through (19), respectively,

14  and new subsections (9) and (10) are added to that section, to

15  read:

16         849.086  Cardrooms authorized.--

17         (2)  DEFINITIONS.--As used in this section:

18         (a)  "Authorized game" means a game or series of games

19  of poker which are played in a nonbanking manner.

20         (b)  "Banking game" means a game in which the house is

21  a participant in the game, taking on players, paying winners,

22  and collecting from losers or in which the cardroom

23  establishes a bank against which participants play.

24         (c)  "Cardroom" means a facility where authorized card

25  games are played for money or anything of value and to which

26  the public is invited to participate in such games and charged

27  a fee for participation by the operator of such facility.

28  Authorized games and cardrooms do not constitute casino gaming

29  operations.

30         (d)  "Cardroom management company" means any individual

31  not an employee of the cardroom operator, any proprietorship,

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    Florida Senate - 2004                           CS for SB 1086
    315-1360-04




 1  partnership, corporation, or other entity that enters into an

 2  agreement with a cardroom operator to manage, operate, or

 3  otherwise control the daily operation of a cardroom.

 4         (e)  "Cardroom distributor" means any business that

 5  distributes cardroom paraphernalia such as card tables,

 6  betting chips, chip holders, drop boxes, banking supplies,

 7  playing cards, card shufflers, and other associated equipment

 8  to authorized cardrooms.

 9         (f)  "Cardroom operator" means a licensed pari-mutuel

10  permitholder which holds a valid permit and license issued by

11  the division pursuant to chapter 550 and which also holds a

12  valid cardroom license issued by the division pursuant to this

13  section which authorizes such person to operate a cardroom and

14  to conduct authorized games in such cardroom.

15         (g)  "Division" means the Division of Pari-mutuel

16  Wagering of the Department of Business and Professional

17  Regulation.

18         (h)  "Dominoes" means flat rectangular blocks the faces

19  of which are divided into two equal parts that are blank or

20  include from one to six dots arranged in a pattern.

21         (i)  "High stakes dominoes" means a game of dominoes

22  played with a set of 28 dominoes which is played without

23  limits on the amount wagered in any game or series of games

24  and without limits on the rounds of betting.

25         (j)(h)  "Gross receipts" means the total amount of

26  money received by a cardroom from any person for participation

27  in authorized games.

28         (k)  "High stakes poker" means a game of poker without

29  limits on the amount wagered in any game or series of games

30  and without limits on the rounds of betting established in

31  this section.

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    Florida Senate - 2004                           CS for SB 1086
    315-1360-04




 1         (l)(i)  "House" means the cardroom operator and all

 2  employees of the cardroom operator.

 3         (m)(j)  "Net proceeds" means the total amount of gross

 4  receipts received by a cardroom operator from cardroom

 5  operations less direct operating expenses related to cardroom

 6  operations, including labor costs, admission taxes only if a

 7  separate admission fee is charged for entry to the cardroom

 8  facility, gross receipts taxes imposed on cardroom operators

 9  by this section, the annual cardroom license fees imposed by

10  this section on each table operated at a cardroom, and

11  reasonable promotional costs excluding officer and director

12  compensation, interest on capital debt, legal fees, real

13  estate taxes, bad debts, contributions or donations, or

14  overhead and depreciation expenses not directly related to the

15  operation of the cardrooms.

16         (n)(k)  "Rake" means a set fee or percentage of the pot

17  assessed by a cardroom operator for providing the services of

18  a dealer, table, or location for playing the authorized game.

19         (9)  HIGH STAKES POKER TOURNAMENTS.--A cardroom

20  operator may host a high-stakes poker tournament twice a year

21  for 1 week at a pari-mutuel facility authorized to operate

22  cardrooms, during the hours the pari-mutuel facility is open

23  to conduct business. Such tournament may be conducted only

24  once in any 6-month period.

25         (10)  HIGH STAKES DOMINOES TOURNAMENTS.--A cardroom

26  operator may host a high stakes dominoes tournament twice a

27  year for 1 week at a pari-mutual facility authorized to

28  operate cardrooms, during the hours the pari-mutuel facility

29  is open to conduct business. Such tournament may be conducted

30  only once in any 6-month period.

31         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2004.

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    Florida Senate - 2004                           CS for SB 1086
    315-1360-04




 1          STATEMENT OF SUBSTANTIAL CHANGES CONTAINED IN
                       COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR
 2                         Senate Bill 1086

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 4  The committee substitute adds the term "dominoes" and "high
    stakes dominoes" to the definition section for cardrooms in s.
 5  849.086, F.S.  It provides for a high stakes dominoes
    tournament twice a year for 1 week at pari-mutuel facilities
 6  authorized to operate cardrooms with tournaments occurring
    only once in any six month period.
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