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CS/CS/SB 804 — Gaming Licenses and Permits
by Rules Committee; Appropriations Committee on Agriculture, Environment, and General Government; and Senator Hutson
This summary is provided for information only and does not represent the opinion of any Senator, Senate Officer, or Senate Office.
Prepared by: Regulated Industries Committee (RI)
The bill revises gaming permitting and licensing procedures, including the method for serving official communications and administrative complaints upon permitholders and licensees licensed under chs. 550 and 551, F.S., (Pari-mutuel Wagering and Slot Machines, respectively), by the Florida Gaming Control Commission (commission).
The bill provides that the commission may deny a license to, or revoke, suspend, or place conditions or restrictions on a person who has been subject to a provisional suspension or period of ineligibility by the federal Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, or on a person suspended or ineligible for licensing related to the finding of a prohibited substance in an animal’s hair or bodily fluids. If the commission summarily suspends an occupational license, the bill requires a licensee to be offered a post-suspension hearing within 72 hours after commencement of the suspension.
The bill authorizes the commission to deny an application for license, or to suspend or revoke a license, if an applicant for a license or a licensee has falsely sworn in a signed oath or affirmation to a material statement, including, but not limited to, their criminal history.
The bill revises requirements for the transmission of racing and jai alai information, effective upon the bill becoming a law, to authorize a licensed horse track to receive broadcasts of horseraces conducted at horse racetracks outside Florida, if the track:
- Conducted a full schedule of live racing in the preceding fiscal year; or
- Is not required to conduct a full schedule of live racing under current law.
Under the bill, the commission is authorized to waive certain restrictions related to slot machine occupational licensing, similar to the waiver authority in current law for pari-mutuel wagering occupational licensing. Current law authorizes the commission to deny, revoke, or refuse to renew a slot machine occupational license if the applicant or the licensee has been convicted of a felony or misdemeanor in Florida, another state, or under federal law which is related to gambling or bookmaking.
Under the bill, the commission will be able to waive the restriction on criminal convictions for slot machine licenses, if all of the following are established:
- The applicant is of good moral character;
- The applicant has been rehabilitated;
- The applicant’s criminal conviction is not related to slot machine gaming; and
- The applicant’s criminal conviction is not a capital offense.
The bill requires each licensed permitholder to report the money received on pari-mutuel pools, cardroom gross receipts, and slot machine revenues to the commission within 120 days after the end of the permitholder’s fiscal year.
Except for the provision relating to the transmission of racing and jai alai information by licensed horse tracks which is effective upon the bill becoming a law, if approved by the Governor, or allowed to become law without the Governor’s signature, the remaining provisions of the bill take effect July 1, 2024.
Vote: Senate 30-1; House 111-3