Senate Bill sb0620

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    Florida Senate - 2006                                   SB 620

    By Senator Geller





    31-253-06

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to cardrooms; amending s.

  3         849.086, F.S.; providing definitions;

  4         authorizing cardroom operators to host

  5         high-stakes poker tournaments and high-stakes

  6         dominoes tournaments at certain pari-mutuel

  7         facilities; providing limitations; providing an

  8         effective date.

  9  

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

11  

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

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

14  redesignated as subsections (11) through (19), respectively,

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

16  read:

17         849.086  Cardrooms authorized.--

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

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

20  of poker which are played in a nonbanking manner.

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

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

23  and collecting from losers or in which the cardroom

24  establishes a bank against which participants play.

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

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

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

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

29  Authorized games and cardrooms do not constitute casino gaming

30  operations.

31  

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    Florida Senate - 2006                                   SB 620
    31-253-06




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

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

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

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

 5  otherwise control the daily operation of a cardroom.

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

 7  distributes cardroom paraphernalia such as card tables,

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

 9  playing cards, card shufflers, and other associated equipment

10  to authorized cardrooms.

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

12  permitholder which holds a valid permit and license issued by

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

14  valid cardroom license issued by the division pursuant to this

15  section which authorizes such person to operate a cardroom and

16  to conduct authorized games in such cardroom.

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

18  Wagering of the Department of Business and Professional

19  Regulation.

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

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

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

23         (i)  "High-stakes dominoes" means a game of dominoes

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

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

26  and without limits on the rounds of betting.

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

28  money received by a cardroom from any person for participation

29  in authorized games.

30         (k)  "High-stakes poker" means a game of poker that is

31  played without limits on the amount wagered in any game or

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    Florida Senate - 2006                                   SB 620
    31-253-06




 1  series of games and without limits on the rounds of betting

 2  established in this section.

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

 4  employees of the cardroom operator.

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

 6  receipts received by a cardroom operator from cardroom

 7  operations less direct operating expenses related to cardroom

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

 9  separate admission fee is charged for entry to the cardroom

10  facility, gross receipts taxes imposed on cardroom operators

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

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

13  reasonable promotional costs excluding officer and director

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

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

16  overhead and depreciation expenses not directly related to the

17  operation of the cardrooms.

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

19  assessed by a cardroom operator for providing the services of

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

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

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

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

24  cardrooms during the hours the pari-mutuel facility is open to

25  conduct business. Such tournament may be conducted only once

26  in any 6-month period.

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

28  operator may host a high-stakes dominoes tournament twice a

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

30  operate cardrooms during the hours the pari-mutuel facility is

31  

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    Florida Senate - 2006                                   SB 620
    31-253-06




 1  open to conduct business. Such tournament may be conducted

 2  only once in any 6-month period.

 3         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2006.

 4  

 5            *****************************************

 6                          SENATE SUMMARY

 7    Authorizes cardroom operators to host high-stakes
      dominoes and high-stakes poker tournaments twice a year
 8    for 1 week at pari-mutuel facilities authorized to
      operate cardrooms, with tournaments occurring only once
 9    in any 6-month period.

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