Senate Bill sb0054
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Florida Senate - 2005 SB 54
By Senator Geller
31-122-05
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.
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10 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
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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.
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Florida Senate - 2005 SB 54
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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 - 2005 SB 54
31-122-05
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
25 to conduct business. Such tournament may be conducted only
26 once 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
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Florida Senate - 2005 SB 54
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1 is 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, 2005.
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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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