SB 190

Bill Subjects

Abstract

(1) The California Constitution prohibits various gaming activities within the state, including casino-style gaming, but authorizes the Governor, subject to ratification by the Legislature, to negotiate and conclude compacts for the operation of slot machines and the conduct of lottery games and banking and percentage card games by federally recognized Indian tribes on Indian lands in California in accordance with federal law. The California Constitution also authorizes the Legislature to provide for the regulation of horse racing, charitable bingo games, the California State Lottery, and charitable raffles. Existing law prohibits a person, whether or not for gain, hire, or reward, from making a betting pool or placing a bet or wager on the result of any contest or event, including a sporting event, as specified. The Gambling Control Act provides for the licensure of certain individuals and establishments that conduct controlled games, as defined, and for the regulation of these gambling activities by the California Gambling Control Commission. Existing law provides for the enforcement of those regulations by the Department of Justice. Any violation of these provisions is punishable as a misdemeanor, as specified. The Horse Racing Law provides for the licensure of every person who participates in, or has anything to do with, the racing of horses, and every employee of a parimutuel department by the California Horse Racing Board. The board is responsible for adopting rules and regulations for the protection of the public, the control of horse racing, and parimutuel wagering, as well as enforcing all laws, rules, and regulations dealing with horse racing and parimutuel wagering. The law permits the board to authorize an association licensed to conduct a racing meeting to also operate a satellite wagering facility at its racetrack inclosure, and for fairs to locate a satellite wagering facility at their fairgrounds, under specified conditions. Any violation of these provisions is punishable as a misdemeanor. This bill would authorize the owner or operator of a gambling establishment, or the owner or operator of a horse racing track, including a horse racing association, or of a satellite wagering facility, with a current license, to conduct wagering on professional and collegiate sports or athletic events, other than on collegiate sports or athletic events that take place in California or in which any California college team participates, by applying to the California Gambling Control Commission or the California Horse Racing Board, as specified, for authorization to conduct sports wagering, and by paying an annual fee for deposit in the Gambling Addiction Program Fund. The bill would require each licensed entity to remit to the Treasurer on a monthly basis for deposit in the General Fund, an amount equal to 7.5% of its gross revenues generated by sports wagering activities. The bill would require the commission, the board, and the department to adopt regulations to implement these provisions, including authority to adopt regulations establishing fees in a reasonable amount to recover costs incurred performing their duties pursuant to these provisions. The bill would require the department, among other things, to investigate any request made by the board or the commission in connection with an application for authorization, and to investigate suspected violations of the above provisions. The bill would authorize the board, commission, and department to regulate sports wagering to the same extent these entities currently regulate other legal gambling in this state, including the ability to audit the books and records of a licensed entity related to the sports wagering activity. The bill would also prohibit a licensed entity from, among other things, accepting a wager from any person who is under 21 years of age or whose name appears on a self-exclusion list. Any violation of these provisions would be punishable as a crime. By creating a new crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing federal law, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 (IGRA) , provides for the negotiation and execution of tribal-state gaming compacts for the purpose of authorizing certain types of gaming on Indian lands within a state. The California Constitution authorizes the Governor to negotiate and conclude compacts, subject to ratification by the Legislature. Existing law expressly ratifies a number of tribal-state gaming compacts, and amendments of tribal-state gaming compacts, between the State of California and specified Indian tribes. This bill would authorize a federally recognized Indian tribe that is not a gambling establishment or a horse racing track, or that has entered into a compact agreement with the state authorizing the operation of a satellite wagering facility, to conduct sports wagering as authorized by IGRA, pursuant to the model tribal-state sports wagering compact described below. This bill would create a model tribal-state sports wagering compact and would provide that, by the enactment of this measure, the state grants a model tribal-state sports wagering compact for the conduct of sports wagering on Indian lands to a federally recognized California Indian tribe that exercises jurisdiction over those Indian lands. The bill would provide for the tribe to adopt the authority through the signature of the tribal chief executive officer, as specified. No further action by the Governor or the state would be required in order to conduct sports wagering, but the tribe would be responsible for submitting a copy of the compact executed by the tribe to the United States Secretary of the Interior for publication of the notice of approval in the Federal Register, pursuant to IGRA. (3) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. (4) This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.