Bill Text: NY S07615 | 2013-2014 | General Assembly | Amended


Bill Title: Relates to out-of-state races, VLT flex hours, and increased free play at VLT facilities.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2014-06-17 - referred to racing and wagering [S07615 Detail]

Download: New_York-2013-S07615-Amended.html
                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                        7615--A
                                   I N  S E N A T E
                                     May 16, 2014
                                      ___________
       Introduced  by  Sen. BONACIC -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
         printed to be committed to the Committee on Racing, Gaming and  Wager-
         ing  --  committee  discharged,  bill  amended,  ordered  reprinted as
         amended and recommitted to said committee
       AN ACT to amend the racing, pari-mutuel wagering and  breeding  law,  in
         relation  to  out-of-state  or  out-of-country races; to amend the tax
         law, in relation to video lottery terminal flex hours  and  increasing
         free   play  at  video  lottery  facilities;  and  to  repeal  certain
         provisions of the racing, pari-mutuel wagering and breeding law relat-
         ing thereto
         THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
       BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
    1    Section  1.  Clauses  (E)  and (F) of subparagraph 5 of paragraph b of
    2  subdivision 1 of section 1016 of the racing,  pari-mutuel  wagering  and
    3  breeding law are REPEALED.
    4    S  2. Clauses (F) and (G) of subparagraph 6 of paragraph b of subdivi-
    5  sion 1 of section 1016 of the racing, pari-mutuel wagering and  breeding
    6  law are REPEALED.
    7    S  3.  Section  1017  of the racing, pari-mutuel wagering and breeding
    8  law, as amended by chapter 18 of the laws  of  2008,  subdivision  2  as
    9  amended  by  chapter  174  of  the  laws  of 2013, is amended to read as
   10  follows:
   11    S 1017. Out-of-state or out-of-country races. [1.] Licensed  simulcast
   12  facilities  may  accept wagers and display the signal of out-of-state or
   13  out-of-country thoroughbred tracks after 7Labor P.M. in accordance  with
   14  the  provisions  of  this  section.  Such simulcasting may include mixed
   15  meetings if such meetings are integral to such racing programs  and  all
   16  such wagering on such races shall be construed to be thoroughbred races.
   17  For  facilities  located  within  the  special  betting  district,  such
   18  approval shall also be required from a thoroughbred  racing  corporation
   19  during  the  period  a  racing program is being conducted at such track.
   20  Such approval shall not be required on any day such thoroughbred  racing
   21  corporation  is  also accepting an out-of-state or out-of-country signal
   22  and wager, as authorized by this section. The provisions of section  one
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD15207-03-4
       S. 7615--A                          2
    1  thousand  sixteen  of this article shall be applicable to the conduct of
    2  such simulcasting and the provisions of clauses (A) and (B) of  subpara-
    3  graph  four  of  paragraph  b of subdivision one of section one thousand
    4  sixteen  of  this  article  shall  apply to those facilities licensed in
    5  accordance with sections one thousand eight and  one  thousand  nine  of
    6  this  article  and the provisions of clauses (A) and (B) of subparagraph
    7  six of paragraph b of subdivision one of section one thousand sixteen of
    8  this article shall apply to those facilities licensed in accordance with
    9  section one thousand seven of this article, when such provisions are  in
   10  full  force  and effect pursuant to such section. Provided, however, the
   11  provisions of section one thousand fourteen of  this  article  shall  be
   12  applicable to the conduct of such simulcasting, when such provisions are
   13  in full force and effect pursuant to such section.
   14    [2.  a. Maintenance of effort. Any off-track betting corporation which
   15  engages in accepting wagers on the simulcasts of thoroughbred races from
   16  out-of-state or out-of-country as permitted  under  subdivision  one  of
   17  this  section shall submit to the commission, for its approval, a sched-
   18  ule of payments to be made in any year or  portion  thereof,  that  such
   19  off-track corporation engages in nighttime thoroughbred simulcasting. In
   20  order  to  be  approved by the commission, the payment schedule shall be
   21  identical to the actual payments and distributions of such  payments  to
   22  tracks  and  purses  made  by such off-track corporation pursuant to the
   23  provisions of section one thousand fifteen of this  article  during  the
   24  year  two  thousand  two,  as  derived  from  out-of-state harness races
   25  displayed after 6:00 P.M. If approved by the commission, such  scheduled
   26  payments  shall  be  made  from  revenues  derived from any simulcasting
   27  conducted pursuant to this section and section one thousand  fifteen  of
   28  this article.
   29    b.  Additional payments. During each calendar year, to the extent, and
   30  at such time in the event,  that  aggregate  statewide  wagering  handle
   31  after  7Labor P.M. on out-of-state and out-of-country thoroughbred races
   32  exceeds one hundred million dollars, each off-track betting  corporation
   33  conducting  such simulcasting shall pay to its regional harness track or
   34  tracks, an amount equal to two percent of  its  proportionate  share  of
   35  such  excess  handle. In any region where there are two or more regional
   36  harness tracks, such two percent shall be divided between or  among  the
   37  tracks in a proportion equal to the proportion of handle on live harness
   38  races conducted at such tracks during the preceding calendar year. Fifty
   39  percent  of  the  sum  received by each track pursuant to this paragraph
   40  shall be used exclusively for increasing purses, stakes  and  prizes  at
   41  that regional harness track. For the purpose of determining whether such
   42  aggregate  statewide  handle  exceeds  one  hundred million dollars, all
   43  wagering on such thoroughbred races accepted by licensed multi-jurisdic-
   44  tional account wagering providers from customers within New  York  state
   45  shall be excluded.]
   46    S 4. Subdivision 1 of section 1012 of the racing, pari-mutuel wagering
   47  and  breeding  law,  as  amended  by chapter 174 of the laws of 2013, is
   48  amended to read as follows:
   49    1. Racing  associations  and  corporations,  franchised  corporations,
   50  off-track betting corporations and multi-jurisdictional account wagering
   51  providers  may  form  partnerships,  joint ventures, or any other affil-
   52  iations or contractual arrangement in order to further the  purposes  of
   53  this  section.  Multi-jurisdictional account wagering providers involved
   54  in such joint affiliations or contractual arrangements shall follow  the
   55  same  distributional  policy  with  respect  to  retained commissions as
   56  [their in-state affiliate or contractual partner] A MULTI-JURISDICTIONAL
       S. 7615--A                          3
    1  ACCOUNT WAGERING PROVIDER DEFINED IN THIS  ARTICLE;  PROVIDED,  HOWEVER,
    2  THAT  SUCH  JOINT AFFILIATION OR CONTRACTUAL ARRANGEMENT ENTERED INTO ON
    3  OR AFTER THE EFFECTIVE DATE OF THE CHAPTER OF THE LAWS OF  TWO  THOUSAND
    4  FOURTEEN  THAT  AMENDED  THIS SUBDIVISION SHALL BE SUBJECT TO THE REVIEW
    5  AND APPROVAL OF THE NEW YORK STATE GAMING  COMMISSION  TO  DETERMINE  IF
    6  SUCH  AFFILIATION  OR CONTRACTUAL ARRANGEMENT IS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF
    7  THE RACING INDUSTRY OF THIS STATE.
    8    S 5. Clause (H) of subparagraph (ii) of paragraph 1 of  subdivision  b
    9  of  section  1612  of the tax law, as amended by section 1 of part BB of
   10  chapter 59 of the laws of 2014, is amended to read as follows:
   11    (H) notwithstanding clauses (A), (B), (C), (D), (E), (F)  and  (G)  of
   12  this  subparagraph, the track operator of a vendor track shall be eligi-
   13  ble for a vendor's capital award of up to  four  percent  of  the  total
   14  revenue  wagered at the vendor track after payout for prizes pursuant to
   15  this chapter, which  shall  be  used  exclusively  for  capital  project
   16  investments  to improve the facilities of the vendor track which promote
   17  or encourage increased attendance at the video lottery  gaming  facility
   18  including,  but  not limited to hotels, other lodging facilities, enter-
   19  tainment  facilities,  retail  facilities,  dining  facilities,   events
   20  arenas,  parking  garages  and  other improvements that enhance facility
   21  amenities; provided that such capital investments shall be  approved  by
   22  the  division, in consultation with the state racing and wagering board,
   23  and that such vendor track demonstrates that such  capital  expenditures
   24  will  increase  patronage at such vendor track's facilities and increase
   25  the amount of revenue generated to support state education programs. The
   26  annual amount of such vendor's capital awards that a vendor track  shall
   27  be  eligible  to  receive  shall  be limited to two million five hundred
   28  thousand dollars, except for Aqueduct racetrack, for which  there  shall
   29  be  no  vendor's  capital awards. Except for tracks having less than one
   30  thousand one hundred video gaming machines,  and  except  for  a  vendor
   31  track  located west of State Route 14 from Sodus Point to the Pennsylva-
   32  nia border within New York, each track operator  shall  be  required  to
   33  co-invest  an  amount  of  capital  expenditure  equal to its cumulative
   34  vendor's capital award. For all tracks, except for  Aqueduct  racetrack,
   35  the amount of any vendor's capital award that is not used during any one
   36  year  period  may  be  carried  over into subsequent years ending before
   37  April first, two thousand fifteen. Any amount attributable to a  capital
   38  expenditure  approved  prior  to  April  first, two thousand fifteen and
   39  completed before April first, two thousand seventeen; or approved  prior
   40  to  April first, two thousand nineteen and completed before April first,
   41  two thousand twenty-one for a vendor track located west of  State  Route
   42  14 from Sodus Point to the Pennsylvania border within New York, shall be
   43  eligible  to  receive  the  vendor's  capital award. In the event that a
   44  vendor track's capital expenditures, approved by the division  prior  to
   45  April  first,  two  thousand fifteen and completed prior to April first,
   46  two thousand seventeen, exceed the  vendor  track's  cumulative  capital
   47  award  during  the  five  year  period  ending April first, two thousand
   48  fifteen, the vendor shall continue to receive the  capital  award  after
   49  April  first,  two thousand fifteen until such approved capital expendi-
   50  tures are paid to the vendor track subject to  any  required  co-invest-
   51  ment.  In  no  event  shall  any vendor track that receives a vendor fee
   52  pursuant to clause [(F) or] (G) of this subparagraph be eligible  for  a
   53  vendor's  capital  award  under  this  section. Any operator of a vendor
   54  track which has received a vendor's capital award,  choosing  to  divest
   55  the capital improvement toward which the award was applied, prior to the
   56  full depreciation of the capital improvement in accordance with general-
       S. 7615--A                          4
    1  ly  accepted accounting principles, shall reimburse the state in amounts
    2  equal to the total of any such awards. Any capital  award  not  approved
    3  for  a  capital  expenditure at a video lottery gaming facility by April
    4  first,  two  thousand  fifteen shall be deposited into the state lottery
    5  fund for education aid; and
    6    S 6. Subdivision b of section 1617-a of the tax  law,  as  amended  by
    7  section  5  of  part  K of chapter 57 of the laws of 2010, is amended to
    8  read as follows:
    9    b. Video lottery gaming shall only be permitted for no more than twen-
   10  ty consecutive hours per day and on  no  day  shall  such  operation  be
   11  conducted past [4:00] 6:00 a.m.
   12    S 7. Paragraph 3 of subdivision f of section 1617-a of the tax law, as
   13  added  by  section  2  of  part  O of chapter 61 of the laws of 2011, is
   14  amended to read as follows:
   15    (3) For each video lottery facility, the annual value of the free play
   16  allowance credits authorized for use by the operator  pursuant  to  this
   17  subdivision shall not exceed an amount equal to [ten] FIFTEEN percent of
   18  the  total amount wagered on video lottery games after payout of prizes.
   19  The division shall establish procedures to assure that free play  allow-
   20  ance credits do not exceed such amount.
   21    S 8. This act shall take effect immediately.
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