Senate Bill sb2432e1

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    CS for SB 2432                                 First Engrossed



  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to cardrooms; amending s.

  3         849.086, F.S.; revising definitions to include

  4         dominoes as an authorized game and to allow

  5         games other than card games to be played in

  6         cardrooms; authorizing rulemaking relating to

  7         poker and dominoes by the Division of

  8         Pari-mutuel Wagering of the Department of

  9         Business and Professional Regulation; providing

10         for supervision of dominoes games at a

11         cardroom; limiting wagering related to

12         authorized games; amending s. 849.161, F.S.;

13         providing that the chapter does not apply to

14         amusement games or machines which operate by

15         the insertion of a coin or other currency;

16         providing an effective date.

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

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20         Section 1.  Paragraphs (a), (c), and (e) of subsection

21  (2), paragraph (a) of subsection (4), paragraph (a) of

22  subsection (6), paragraph (c) of subsection (7), and paragraph

23  (a) of subsection (8) of section 849.086, Florida Statutes,

24  are amended, and present paragraphs (h), (i), (j), and (k) of

25  subsection (2) of that section are redesignated as paragraphs

26  (i), (j), (k), and (l), respectively, and a new paragraph (h)

27  is added to that subsection, to read:

28         849.086  Cardrooms authorized.--

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

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

31  of poker or dominoes which are played in a nonbanking manner.


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

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

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

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

 5  Authorized games and cardrooms do not constitute casino gaming

 6  operations.

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

 8  distributes cardroom paraphernalia such as card tables,

 9  betting chips, chip holders, dominoes, dominoes tables, drop

10  boxes, banking supplies, playing cards, card shufflers, and

11  other associated equipment to authorized cardrooms.

12         (h)  "Dominoes" means a game of dominoes typically

13  played with a set of 28 flat rectangular blocks, called bones,

14  marked on one side, which is divided into two equal parts,

15  with from zero to six dots, called pips, in each part. There

16  are larger sets of blocks which contain a correspondingly

17  higher number of pips. The term "dominoes" also refers to the

18  set of blocks used to play the game.

19         (4)  AUTHORITY OF DIVISION.--The Division of

20  Pari-mutuel Wagering of the Department of Business and

21  Professional Regulation shall administer this section and

22  regulate the operation of cardrooms under this section and the

23  rules adopted pursuant thereto, and is hereby authorized to:

24         (a)  Adopt rules, including, but not limited to: the

25  issuance of cardroom and employee licenses for cardroom

26  operations; the operation of a cardroom; the review and

27  approval of the play and wagering in a game or series of games

28  of poker or a game of dominoes; recordkeeping and reporting

29  requirements; and the collection of all fees and taxes imposed

30  by this section.

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 1         (6)  BUSINESS AND EMPLOYEE OCCUPATIONAL LICENSE

 2  REQUIRED; APPLICATION; FEES.--

 3         (a)  A person employed or otherwise working in a

 4  cardroom as a cardroom manager, floor supervisor, pit boss,

 5  dealer, or any other activity related to cardroom operations

 6  while the facility is conducting card playing or games of

 7  dominoes must hold a valid cardroom employee occupational

 8  license issued by the division. Food service, maintenance, and

 9  security employees with a current pari-mutuel occupational

10  license and a current background check will not be required to

11  have a cardroom employee occupational license.

12         (7)  CONDITIONS FOR OPERATING A CARDROOM.--

13         (c)  A cardroom operator must at all times employ and

14  provide a nonplaying dealer for each table on which authorized

15  card games which traditionally utilize a dealer are conducted

16  at the cardroom. A cardroom operator must at all times employ

17  and provide a nonplaying supervisor for each table on which an

18  authorized dominoes game is conducted at the cardroom. Such

19  dealers or dominoes game supervisors may not have any

20  participatory interest in any game other than the dealing of

21  cards or the supervision of dominoes games and may not have an

22  interest in the outcome of the game. The providing of such

23  dealers or dominoes games supervisors by a licensee shall not

24  be construed as constituting the conducting of a banking game

25  by the cardroom operator.

26         (8)  METHOD OF WAGERS; LIMITATION.--

27         (a)  No wagering may be conducted using money or other

28  negotiable currency. Games may only be played utilizing a

29  wagering system whereby all players' money is first converted

30  by the house to tokens or chips which shall be used for

31  wagering only at that specific cardroom. No wager of money or


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 1  any other property or thing of value may be made on the

 2  outcome of an authorized game other than by the persons who

 3  are playing in such a game or in a series of such games. Any

 4  wager authorized by this paragraph must be in strict

 5  compliance with this subsection.

 6         Section 2.  Paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of section

 7  849.161, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:

 8         849.161  Amusement games or machines; when chapter

 9  inapplicable.--

10         (1)(a)1.  Nothing contained in this chapter shall be

11  taken or construed as applicable to an arcade amusement center

12  having amusement games or machines which operate by means of

13  the insertion of a coin or other currency and which by

14  application of skill may entitle the person playing or

15  operating the game or machine to receive points or coupons

16  which may be exchanged for merchandise only, excluding cash

17  and alcoholic beverages, provided the cost value of the

18  merchandise or prize awarded in exchange for such points or

19  coupons does not exceed 75 cents on any game played.

20         2.  Nothing contained in this chapter shall be taken or

21  construed as applicable to any retail dealer who operates as a

22  truck stop, as defined in chapter 336 and which operates a

23  minimum of 6 functional diesel fuel pumps, having amusement

24  games or machines which operate by means of the insertion of a

25  coin or other currency and which by application of skill may

26  entitle the person playing or operating the game or machine to

27  receive points or coupons which may be exchanged for

28  merchandise limited to noncash prizes, toys, novelties, and

29  Florida Lottery products, excluding alcoholic beverages,

30  provided the cost value of the merchandise or prize awarded in

31  exchange for such points or coupons does not exceed 75 cents


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    CS for SB 2432                                 First Engrossed



 1  on any game played. This subparagraph applies only to games

 2  and machines which are operated for the entertainment of the

 3  general public and tourists as bona fide amusement games or

 4  machines. This subsection shall not apply, however, to any

 5  game or device defined as a gambling device in 24 U.S.C. s.

 6  1171, which requires identification of each device by

 7  permanently affixing seriatim numbering and name, trade name,

 8  and date of manufacture under s. 1173, and registration with

 9  the United States Attorney General, unless excluded from

10  applicability of the chapter under s. 1178. This subsection

11  shall not be construed to authorize video poker games or any

12  other game or machine that may be construed as a gambling

13  device under Florida law.

14         Section 3.  This act shall take effect July 1, 2005.

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