Bill Text: FL S1544 | 2017 | Regular Session | Introduced


Bill Title: Charitable Gaming

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Failed) 2017-05-05 - Died in Regulated Industries [S1544 Detail]

Download: Florida-2017-S1544-Introduced.html
       Florida Senate - 2017                                    SB 1544
       
       
        
       By Senator Perry
       
       
       
       
       
       8-01423-17                                            20171544__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to charitable gaming; amending s.
    3         546.10, F.S.; authorizing Type C amusement games or
    4         machines to be operated at the premises of a veterans’
    5         service organization under certain conditions;
    6         creating s. 849.0932, F.S.; providing definitions;
    7         authorizing certain organizations to conduct poker
    8         tournaments under certain circumstances; providing
    9         requirements and restrictions for such tournaments;
   10         prohibiting persons under 18 years of age from
   11         participating or being involved in such tournaments;
   12         requiring specified information to be posted at the
   13         premises at which such tournament is conducted;
   14         requiring such organization to submit each tournament
   15         result to its board of directors; providing an
   16         effective date.
   17          
   18  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   19  
   20         Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subsection (6) of section
   21  546.10, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
   22         546.10 Amusement games or machines.—
   23         (6)
   24         (b) A Type C amusement game or machine may only be operated
   25  at:
   26         1. A facility as defined in s. 721.05(17) that is under the
   27  control of a timeshare plan;
   28         2. An arcade amusement center;
   29         3. A bowling center, as defined in s. 849.141;
   30         4. The premises of a retailer, as defined in s. 212.02;
   31         5. A public lodging establishment or public food service
   32  establishment licensed pursuant to chapter 509;
   33         6. A truck stop; or
   34         7. The premises of a veterans’ service organization granted
   35  a federal charter under Title 36, U.S.C., or a division,
   36  department, post, or chapter of such organization, for which an
   37  alcoholic beverage license has been issued if no profit is
   38  received by such organization, or a division, department, post,
   39  or chapter thereof, and all proceeds from the amusement game or
   40  machine are used strictly for the welfare of local veterans and
   41  their families.
   42         Section 2. Section 849.0932, Florida Statutes, is created
   43  to read:
   44         849.0932Poker tournaments by certain organizations
   45  authorized; conditions for conduct; permitted uses of proceeds;
   46  limitations; required posted notice.—
   47         (1)As used in this section, the term:
   48         (a)“Cards” means a deck of rectangular pieces of cardboard
   49  or other material, each of which has an identical pattern on one
   50  side and different numbers or letters, including A, 2, 3, 4, 5,
   51  6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, or K, on the other side, which are used to
   52  play various games. A standard deck of cards contains 52 cards
   53  divided into four suits, including spades, hearts, clubs, and
   54  diamonds, and may include two cards with the word “joker” on
   55  them.
   56         (b)“Charitable, nonprofit, or veterans’ organization”
   57  means a federal tax-exempt organization under s. 501(c)(3) of
   58  the Internal Revenue Code which has been actively engaged in
   59  charitable, civic, community, benevolent, religious, or
   60  scholastic works or other similar activities for at least 3
   61  years.
   62         (c)“Chips” means small disk-shaped counters used to
   63  represent money when betting during gambling. Each chip has a
   64  number on it to represent a different monetary amount but has no
   65  monetary value.
   66         (d)“Hand” means the cards dealt during one round of play
   67  of a game of poker.
   68         (e)“Poker” means one or more of the common gambling card
   69  games.
   70         (f)“Poker tournament” means the playing of poker in a
   71  tournament format, in which:
   72         1.A participant pays an entry fee to compete for a cash
   73  prize and receives chips and a seat at a table.
   74         2.Cards are dealt to each participant to commence the
   75  game, and he or she has the opportunity to bet on each hand
   76  using chips and without exchanging any money during the game.
   77         3.The dealer awards the pot to the winner or winners of
   78  the hand at the conclusion of each hand.
   79         4.A participant wins and loses chips as the tournament
   80  progresses and is eliminated from the tournament when he or she
   81  loses all of his or her chips.
   82         5.Play continues until a winner or winners are determined
   83  as defined by the specific tournament rules.
   84         (g)“Pot” means the total amount of chips that are bet for
   85  one hand.
   86         (h)“Seat” means a participant’s position at a table.
   87         (2)(a)This chapter does not prohibit or prevent a
   88  charitable, nonprofit, or veterans’ organization from conducting
   89  a poker tournament if all of the proceeds derived from such
   90  tournament, less actual business expenses essential for the
   91  operation, conduct, and playing of such tournament, are donated
   92  by such organization to the works or activities described in
   93  paragraph (1)(b) and not used for any other purpose. The
   94  proceeds derived from such tournament may not be considered
   95  solicitation of public donations.
   96         (b)A charitable, nonprofit, or veterans’ organization may
   97  not sponsor a poker tournament conducted by an organization that
   98  is not federal tax-exempt.
   99         (3)(a)The total entry fee per participant for a poker
  100  tournament may not exceed $200.
  101         (b)The cash prize distributed to participants is awarded
  102  as determined by the specific tournament rules and must amount
  103  to at least 40 percent but not more than 80 percent of the sum
  104  of all entry fees.
  105         (c)The charitable, nonprofit, or veterans’ organization
  106  must retain at least 20 percent of the sum of all entry fees
  107  before the cash prize is distributed.
  108         (4)(a)A person involved in conducting a poker tournament
  109  pursuant to this section must be a resident of the community in
  110  which the charitable, nonprofit, or veterans’ organization is
  111  located, must be a bona fide member of such organization, and
  112  may not be compensated in any way for being involved in
  113  conducting such tournament.
  114         (b)A charitable, nonprofit, or veterans’ organization must
  115  designate at least one but not more than three of its members to
  116  manage the poker tournament, at least one of whom shall be
  117  present during the entire tournament.
  118         (5)(a)A charitable, nonprofit, or veterans’ organization
  119  conducting a poker tournament must be located in, or within a
  120  15-mile radius of, the county in which the poker tournament is
  121  conducted.
  122         (b)The equipment used in the poker tournament must be
  123  owned by the charitable, nonprofit, or veterans’ organization
  124  conducting the tournament.
  125         (6)(a)No person under 18 years of age may participate in,
  126  or be involved in any way in, a poker tournament.
  127         (b)A charitable, nonprofit, or veterans’ organization
  128  conducting a poker tournament that is open to the public may
  129  refuse entry to a person if it determines that such person is
  130  objectionable or undesirable, but such refusal may not be on the
  131  basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin,
  132  age, handicap, or marital status.
  133         (7)A charitable, nonprofit, or veterans’ organization
  134  conducting a poker tournament must post the following notices in
  135  a conspicuous location on the premises at which the tournament
  136  is conducted:
  137         (a)The name of the organization and the designated member
  138  or members managing the tournament.
  139         (b)The rules and regulations of the poker tournament.
  140         (c)The minimum and maximum entry fees and an itemization
  141  of the distribution of such fees, including the amount retained
  142  by the charity and the amounts used for tournament expenses such
  143  as cash prizes and food.
  144         (d)The results of the most recent tournament including the
  145  sum of entry fees and the distribution of cash prizes.
  146         (8)A charitable, nonprofit, or veterans’ organization
  147  conducting a poker tournament must submit the result of each
  148  tournament to its board of directors to be kept on file as a
  149  permanent record.
  150         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2017.

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