Senate Bill 2286

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.



    Florida Senate - 1998                                  SB 2286

    By Senator Holzendorf





    2-1379-98

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to pari-mutuel wagering;

  3         authorizing a permitholder that conducts

  4         pari-mutuel wagering to conduct account

  5         wagering, notwithstanding other provisions of

  6         law; providing for wagers to be debited from an

  7         account held by the permitholder; providing

  8         notice requirements; providing for all forms of

  9         pari-mutuel wagering to be available through

10         account wagering; providing for certain

11         deductions from account wagers; providing for

12         winnings to be credited to an account upon

13         confirmation of the race as official;

14         authorizing a permitholder to operate an

15         account-wagering center at a location

16         designated by the permitholder; providing for

17         the permitholder to provide services that link

18         transactions from an account holder to a

19         totalisator company; providing an effective

20         date.

21

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

23

24         Section 1.  (1)  Notwithstanding section 550.155,

25  Florida Statutes, any permitholder may conduct account

26  wagering in person, via telephonic device, or by communication

27  through other electronic media. A permitholder may conduct

28  account wagering only on the same class of race for which the

29  permitholder holds a permit or license.

30         (2)  The permitholder conducting account wagering may

31  offer a wagering system whereby wagers are debited from, and

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    Florida Senate - 1998                                  SB 2286
    2-1379-98




  1  payments credited to, an account in the name of the account

  2  holder, which account is held by the permitholder. The

  3  permitholder shall notify all prospective account holders, at

  4  the time of the opening of the account, of any rules or

  5  procedures the permitholder has adopted with respect to

  6  deposits, withdrawals, average daily balance, user or service

  7  fees, interest payments, hours of operation, and any other

  8  aspect of the operation of the account. The permitholder shall

  9  notify each account holder whenever the rules governing the

10  account are changed. Such notification must occur before the

11  new rules are applied to the account, and the account holder

12  must be given the opportunity to close or cash in the account.

13  Each account holder shall be deemed to have accepted the rules

14  of account operation upon opening an account or failing to

15  close an account following any such change in account

16  operation.

17         (3)  All forms of pari-mutuel wagering otherwise

18  available under law are authorized on wagers placed through

19  account wagering.

20         (4)  Account wagering shall be conducted in compliance

21  with all state and federal laws and is subject to the

22  statutory provisions and rules that govern the placing of all

23  pari-mutuel wagers. An amount shall be deducted from each

24  account wager which is equal to the amount deducted on a

25  similar wager made in person from the wagering pool at the

26  permitholder's facility, and such amount is subject to the

27  same distribution as the amount deducted on a wager made in

28  person, including applicable pari-mutuel taxes.

29         (5)  The total amount of all account wagers shall be

30  included in the respective pools of each race and shall be

31  combined into the permitholder's pools, or, if applicable,

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    Florida Senate - 1998                                  SB 2286
    2-1379-98




  1  directly into the corresponding pools of a host track in

  2  another jurisdiction. The amount wagered in such pools from

  3  wagering accounts shall be debited accordingly, and any

  4  winnings shall be automatically credited to such accounts upon

  5  the race being confirmed as official.

  6         (6)  The permitholder may operate an account-wagering

  7  center at its pari-mutuel facility or at any other location

  8  designated by the permitholder. If the permitholder operates

  9  an account-wagering center at a place other than its

10  pari-mutuel facility, the permitholder must make its records

11  of credits and debits for all accounts that are part of the

12  account-wagering system available at its pari-mutuel facility.

13         (7)  The permitholder shall appoint officers,

14  employees, or agents to manage and control the various aspects

15  of the account-wagering system. The permitholder shall provide

16  for services that link transactions from an account holder to

17  a totalisator company. The officers, employees, and agents

18  appointed by the permitholder are subject to the same standard

19  of review and oversight by the Division of Pari-mutuel

20  Wagering within the Department of Business and Professional

21  Regulation as are the totalisator companies that provide

22  totalisator services for the permitholder.

23         Section 2.  This act shall take effect July 1, 1998.

24

25            *****************************************

26                          SENATE SUMMARY

27    Provides for pari-mutuel wagering to be conducted through
      an account established with a permitholder. Provides for
28    wagers to be debited from the account and winnings to be
      credited to the account. Provides for account wagering to
29    be conducted at a pari-mutuel facility or at any location
      designated by the permitholder. (See bill for details.)
30

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