| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to cardrooms; amending s. 849.086, F.S.; |
| 3 | defining "dominoes," "high-stakes dominoes," and "high- |
| 4 | stakes poker"; authorizing cardroom operators to host |
| 5 | high-stakes poker and high-stakes dominoes tournaments at |
| 6 | certain pari-mutuel facilities; providing limitations; |
| 7 | requiring greyhound permitholders to use a portion of |
| 8 | cardroom proceeds and certain prior supplements to |
| 9 | supplement purses during current meets; providing an |
| 10 | effective date. |
| 11 |
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| 12 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 13 |
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| 14 | Section 1. Subsection (2) and paragraph (d) of present |
| 15 | subsection (13) of section 849.086, Florida Statutes, are |
| 16 | amended, present subsections (9) through (17) are renumbered as |
| 17 | subsections (11) through (19), respectively, and new subsections |
| 18 | (9) and (10) are added to said section, to read: |
| 19 | 849.086 Cardrooms authorized.-- |
| 20 | (2) DEFINITIONS.--As used in this section: |
| 21 | (a) "Authorized game" means a game or series of games of |
| 22 | poker which are played in a nonbanking manner. |
| 23 | (b) "Banking game" means a game in which the house is a |
| 24 | participant in the game, taking on players, paying winners, and |
| 25 | collecting from losers or in which the cardroom establishes a |
| 26 | bank against which participants play. |
| 27 | (c) "Cardroom" means a facility where authorized card |
| 28 | games are played for money or anything of value and to which the |
| 29 | public is invited to participate in such games and charged a fee |
| 30 | for participation by the operator of such facility. Authorized |
| 31 | games and cardrooms do not constitute casino gaming operations. |
| 32 | (d) "Cardroom management company" means any individual not |
| 33 | an employee of the cardroom operator, any proprietorship, |
| 34 | partnership, corporation, or other entity that enters into an |
| 35 | agreement with a cardroom operator to manage, operate, or |
| 36 | otherwise control the daily operation of a cardroom. |
| 37 | (e) "Cardroom distributor" means any business that |
| 38 | distributes cardroom paraphernalia such as card tables, betting |
| 39 | chips, chip holders, drop boxes, banking supplies, playing |
| 40 | cards, card shufflers, and other associated equipment to |
| 41 | authorized cardrooms. |
| 42 | (f) "Cardroom operator" means a licensed pari-mutuel |
| 43 | permitholder which holds a valid permit and license issued by |
| 44 | the division pursuant to chapter 550 and which also holds a |
| 45 | valid cardroom license issued by the division pursuant to this |
| 46 | section which authorizes such person to operate a cardroom and |
| 47 | to conduct authorized games in such cardroom. |
| 48 | (g) "Division" means the Division of Pari-mutuel Wagering |
| 49 | of the Department of Business and Professional Regulation. |
| 50 | (h) "Dominoes" means flat, rectangular blocks the faces of |
| 51 | which are divided into two equal parts that are blank or include |
| 52 | from one to six dots arranged in a pattern. |
| 53 | (i)(h) "Gross receipts" means the total amount of money |
| 54 | received by a cardroom from any person for participation in |
| 55 | authorized games. |
| 56 | (j) "High-stakes dominoes" means a game of dominoes that |
| 57 | is played with a set of 28 dominoes and that is played without |
| 58 | limits on the amount wagered in any game or series of games and |
| 59 | without limits on the rounds of betting. |
| 60 | (k) "High-stakes poker" means a game of poker that is |
| 61 | played without limits on the amount wagered in any game or |
| 62 | series of games and without limits on the rounds of betting |
| 63 | established in this section. |
| 64 | (l)(i) "House" means the cardroom operator and all |
| 65 | employees of the cardroom operator. |
| 66 | (m)(j) "Net proceeds" means the total amount of gross |
| 67 | receipts received by a cardroom operator from cardroom |
| 68 | operations less direct operating expenses related to cardroom |
| 69 | operations, including labor costs, admission taxes only if a |
| 70 | separate admission fee is charged for entry to the cardroom |
| 71 | facility, gross receipts taxes imposed on cardroom operators by |
| 72 | this section, the annual cardroom license fees imposed by this |
| 73 | section on each table operated at a cardroom, and reasonable |
| 74 | promotional costs excluding officer and director compensation, |
| 75 | interest on capital debt, legal fees, real estate taxes, bad |
| 76 | debts, contributions or donations, or overhead and depreciation |
| 77 | expenses not directly related to the operation of the cardrooms. |
| 78 | (n)(k) "Rake" means a set fee or percentage of the pot |
| 79 | assessed by a cardroom operator for providing the services of a |
| 80 | dealer, table, or location for playing the authorized game. |
| 81 | (9) HIGH-STAKES POKER TOURNAMENTS.--A cardroom operator |
| 82 | may host a high-stakes poker tournament twice a year for 1 week |
| 83 | at a pari-mutuel facility authorized to operate cardrooms, |
| 84 | during the hours the pari-mutuel facility is open to conduct |
| 85 | business. Such tournament may be conducted only once in any 6- |
| 86 | month period. |
| 87 | (10) HIGH-STAKES DOMINOES TOURNAMENTS.--A cardroom |
| 88 | operator may host a high-stakes dominoes tournament twice a year |
| 89 | for 1 week at a pari-mutual facility authorized to operate |
| 90 | cardrooms, during the hours the pari-mutuel facility is open to |
| 91 | conduct business. Such tournament may be conducted only once in |
| 92 | any 6-month period. |
| 93 | (15)(13) TAXES AND OTHER PAYMENTS.-- |
| 94 | (d) Each greyhound and jai alai permitholder that operates |
| 95 | a cardroom facility shall use at least 4 percent of such |
| 96 | permitholder's cardroom monthly gross receipts to supplement |
| 97 | greyhound purses or jai alai prize money, respectively, during |
| 98 | the permitholder's next ensuing pari-mutuel meet. Each greyhound |
| 99 | permitholder that operates a cardroom facility shall use at |
| 100 | least 4 percent of such permitholder's cardroom monthly gross |
| 101 | receipts to supplement greyhound purses during the |
| 102 | permitholder's current pari-mutuel meet plus any prior purse |
| 103 | supplement that has not been voluntarily paid for state fiscal |
| 104 | year 2003-2004. Each thoroughbred and harness horse racing |
| 105 | permitholder that operates a cardroom facility shall use at |
| 106 | least 50 percent of such permitholder's cardroom monthly net |
| 107 | proceeds as follows: 47 percent to supplement purses and 3 |
| 108 | percent to supplement breeders' awards during the permitholder's |
| 109 | next ensuing racing meet. |
| 110 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2004. |