| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to cardrooms; amending s. 849.086, F.S.; |
| 3 | defining the term "high-stakes poker"; authorizing the |
| 4 | Division of Pari-mutuel Wagering of the Department of |
| 5 | Business and Professional Regulation to adopt rules for |
| 6 | the operation of high-stakes poker tournaments; |
| 7 | authorizing a cardroom operator to host a televised high- |
| 8 | stakes poker tournament at certain pari-mutuel facilities; |
| 9 | providing conditions; defining the term "gross receipts" |
| 10 | for such tournaments; correcting a cross-reference; |
| 11 | providing an effective date. |
| 12 |
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| 13 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 14 |
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| 15 | Section 1. Paragraphs (j) through (m) of subsection (2) of |
| 16 | section 849.086, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as |
| 17 | paragraphs (k) through (n), respectively, and a new paragraph |
| 18 | (j) is added to that subsection, paragraph (a) of subsection (4) |
| 19 | is amended, subsections (9) through (17) are redesignated as |
| 20 | subsections (10) through (18), respectively, a new subsection |
| 21 | (9) is added to that section, and paragraph (h) of present |
| 22 | subsection (13) of that section is amended, to read: |
| 23 | 849.086 Cardrooms authorized.-- |
| 24 | (2) DEFINITIONS.--As used in this section: |
| 25 | (j) "High-stakes poker" means a game of poker which is |
| 26 | played without limits on the amount wagered in any game or |
| 27 | series of games or without limits on the rounds of betting |
| 28 | established in this section. |
| 29 | (4) AUTHORITY OF DIVISION.--The Division of Pari-mutuel |
| 30 | Wagering of the Department of Business and Professional |
| 31 | Regulation shall administer this section and regulate the |
| 32 | operation of cardrooms under this section and the rules adopted |
| 33 | pursuant thereto, and is hereby authorized to: |
| 34 | (a)1. Adopt rules, including, but not limited to: the |
| 35 | issuance of cardroom and employee licenses for cardroom |
| 36 | operations; the operation of a cardroom; recordkeeping and |
| 37 | reporting requirements; and the collection of all fees and taxes |
| 38 | imposed by this section. |
| 39 | 2. Adopt rules for the operation of high-stakes poker |
| 40 | tournaments, including, but not limited to, maximum buy-in |
| 41 | amounts, number of players, amount of betting units, and payout |
| 42 | scales. |
| 43 | (9) HIGH-STAKES POKER TOURNAMENTS.-- |
| 44 | (a) A cardroom operator may host a televised high-stakes |
| 45 | poker tournament twice each year for 1 week at a pari-mutuel |
| 46 | facility that is authorized to operate cardrooms during the |
| 47 | hours that the pari-mutuel facility is open to conduct business. |
| 48 | Such a tournament may be conducted only once in any 6-month |
| 49 | period. |
| 50 | (b) A high-stakes poker tournament shall consist of a |
| 51 | series of games played at multiple tables. Tournaments shall be |
| 52 | played only with tournament chips that shall be provided to all |
| 53 | participants in exchange for an entry fee and any subsequent |
| 54 | rebuys. All players shall receive an equal number of tournament |
| 55 | chips for their entry fee. Tournament chips shall have no cash |
| 56 | value and shall represent tournament points only. There shall be |
| 57 | no limitation on the number of tournament chips that can be used |
| 58 | for a bet except as determined by the cardroom operator. At no |
| 59 | time may tournament chips be redeemed for cash or any other |
| 60 | thing of value. The entry fee for a tournament shall be decided |
| 61 | by the cardroom operator. The distribution of prizes and cash |
| 62 | awards shall be determined by the cardroom operator before entry |
| 63 | fees are accepted. For purposes of tournament play only, "gross |
| 64 | receipts" for the tournament shall mean the total amount |
| 65 | received by the cardroom operator for all entry fees, player |
| 66 | rebuys, and fees for participation in the tournament, less the |
| 67 | total amount paid to the winners or others as prizes. The total |
| 68 | number of players that may enter the tournament shall be decided |
| 69 | by the cardroom operator. |
| 70 | (14)(13) TAXES AND OTHER PAYMENTS.-- |
| 71 | (h) One-quarter of the moneys deposited into the Pari- |
| 72 | mutuel Wagering Trust Fund pursuant to paragraph (g) shall, by |
| 73 | October 1 of each year, be distributed to the local government |
| 74 | that approved the cardroom under subsection (17) (16); however, |
| 75 | if two or more pari-mutuel racetracks are located within the |
| 76 | same incorporated municipality, the cardroom funds shall be |
| 77 | distributed to the municipality. If a pari-mutuel facility is |
| 78 | situated in such a manner that it is located in more than one |
| 79 | county, the site of the cardroom facility shall determine the |
| 80 | location for purposes of disbursement of tax revenues under this |
| 81 | paragraph. The division shall, by September 1 of each year, |
| 82 | determine: the amount of taxes deposited into the Pari-mutuel |
| 83 | Wagering Trust Fund pursuant to this section from each cardroom |
| 84 | licensee; the location by county of each cardroom; whether the |
| 85 | cardroom is located in the unincorporated area of the county or |
| 86 | within an incorporated municipality; and, the total amount to be |
| 87 | distributed to each eligible county and municipality. |
| 88 | Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2008. |