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Gambling Control Bill 2013

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February 21, 2013 An act to amend Section 19805 of the Business and Professions Code, and to amend Section 337j of the Penal Code, relating to gaming. Legislative counsel's digest AB 820, as amended, Gomez. Gaming: Gambling Control Act. The Gambling Control Act provides for the licensure of certain. The new Government intends to press ahead with Alan Shatter's Gambling Control Bill, first introduced in 2013. A spokesperson for the Department of Justice said: 'It is the intention to proceed.

In 2013, the Irish Gambling Control Bill 2013 was introduced as a Private Members' Bill by the Fianna Fáil, the largest opposition faction to the current regime. This Irish gaming law is still hung up in Parliament and has yet to reach the second debate stage, and the language included will need revision before advancing.

The bill's intention is to outline what the language of the eventual regulating bill must include. Because the structure of the 2013 control bill follows the advised protocols outlined in previously drafted planning documents, it is expected to receive favorable reviews from Parliament members. Still, there are amendments to the language that will need to be debated.

Implications Of The Irish Gambling Control Bill 2013

The bill establishes a new arm of the Irish government to regulate gaming called the Office of Gambling Control Ireland (OGCI). The entity will exist within the Department of Justice and will create and enforce relevant gaming regulations.

If the Irish Gambling Control Bill 2013 is implemented, it will cause the repeal of:

  • The Betting Act 1931
  • The Gaming and Lotteries Act 1956

The new bill will combine all previously regulated industries under one gambling management entity. The bill outlines guidelines for fair play in the gambling industry, minimizing risk to problem gamblers and providing support, and shining a light on criminal gaming enterprises.

Typically, gaming legislation includes an outline detailing how the government will draw tax revenue from legal gambling proceeds, but the Irish Gambling Control Bill 2013 does not serve this purpose. Additional legislation will need to be created and enacted to govern gaming revenue administration.

The bill allows for the creation of lottery games, but additional legislation will also need to be written to establish the amount that will be given to charity, and which charitable entities will benefit from the proceeds. The legislation will set aside funds to pay for the administration of social services aimed at promoting responsible legal gambling in Ireland. Bingo will be declared legal by this bill and will be given the green light for commercial operation.

What The 2013 Bill Will Regulate

Gambling industries controlled by the OGCI under the 2013 bill include:

  • Gaming
  • Betting
  • Lottery
  • Bingo
  • Slot Machines
  • Video Gambling Machines

The OGCI will not regulate the following sectors:

  • Horse Racing
  • Greyhound Racing

These two categories will remain under the control of Horse Racing Ireland and the Irish Greyhound Board, respectively.

All Irish gaming facilities will require a license, and the OGCI has 43 licenses available to apply for. There are several types of licenses available depending on the kind of facility, including gaming, betting, remote, temporary, and personal licenses.

There are currently nearly two dozen private club casinos operating in Ireland, which include poker, table games, slot machines, and fixed odds betting at terminals. The industry employs thousands of people who will be affected if their employer doesn't receive one of the coveted licenses required by the new legislation.

The bill limits the number of Irish casinos in the country to forty, which includes a maximum of 15 gaming tables and 25 gaming machines at each location. Prohibited by the bill are sports betting terminals and sportsbooks of any kind.

The Future Of Irish Gambling Control Bill 2013

Members of Ireland's Parliament are not in agreeance that the OGCI should fall under the Department of Justice, with some arguing that it should be an independent entity. Granting the control to the OGCI and placing them within the Department of Justice has met resistance. The bill has been idle for nearly two years, and a consensus is not within sight.

The country suffers an inordinately high percentage of problem gamers, and those that are addicted to gambling need support and treatment. On the other side of the political coin, legislators may be taking a hands-off approach to the bill because of its controversial nature, allowing for it to idle. With the betting facilities also lobbying the legislation at full tilt, the bill could be hung up for a long time.

Irish Gambling Control Bill 2013 will bring Irish gambling laws into close alignment with those of neighboring England, whose annual intake from the gaming industry is in excess of £14 billion per year. It's passage will deliver much needed regulation and will provide for the installation of consistent fair play practices.

REMOTE CALLER BINGO

SB 76(Committee on Budget and Fiscal Review, Chapter 32, Statutes of 2013) - Public Safety Budget Trailer Bill – 2013-14 Budget.

This bill, an urgency measure, is the public safety Budget trailer bill. The bill, in part, restructures the Remote Caller Bingo Program, reallocates functions among the Commission and the Department of Justice, extends the due date for repayment of loans owed to the Gambling Control Fund for Program administrative costs, appropriates funds to the Commission for workload associated with the Program, and establishes a sunset date for the Program. The bill also makes various technical amendments to the Program and makes other changes.

Effective date: June 27, 2013

Note: Also see SB 820 below.


BUDGET

AB 110 (Blumenfield, Chapter 20, Statutes of 2013) - Budget Act of 2013.

This bill, an urgency measure, makes appropriations for the support of state government for the 2013-14 fiscal year and includes appropriations for the Commission.

Effective date: June 27, 2013

CARDROOMS

AB 1039 (Hall, Chapter 745, Statutes of 2013) - Local Gambling Control.

This bill allows limited expansion of gambling by authorizing local jurisdictions to amend their local gambling ordinances without approval of the voters, to allow cardrooms to increase the number of gambling (cardroom) tables by two, compared to the ordinance that was in effect on January 1, 2013.

Effective date: January 1, 2014

SB 472 (Hill, Chapter 760, Statutes of 2013) - Gaming: Licenses.

This bill changes suitability requirements and authorizes licensing exemptions for persons required to be licensed by the Commission, as it relates to a gambling establishment (cardroom) that was located on a racetrack. The major provisions of the bill would: (1) loosen the suitability requirements for specified persons required to hold a State gambling license that have a financial interest in a business or organization engaged in gambling prohibited by law; (2) provide a three-year exemption to the restrictions on prohibited financial interests for those persons; (3) require those persons to divest their interests in a gambling business or establishment, as specified, within 3 years; and, (4) extend the Commission's current authority to exempt specified limited partners in limited partnerships from licensing requirements in order to include a cardroom that was located on a racetrack. The bill also restricts the use of funds from these financial interests during the divestment period and makes other changes.

Effective date: January 1, 2014

GOVERNOR'S REORGANIZATION PLAN NO. 2 OF 2012 - REORGANIZATION

AB 1317 (Frazier, Chapter 352, Statues of 2013) - State Government Reorganization.

This bill, an urgency measure, codifies the Governor's Reorganization Plan No. 2 and also makes technical amendments to properly reflect the assignment and reorganization of the functions of state government among the newly established executive officers and agencies. As it relates to the Commission, the bill makes one nonsubstantive technical amendment to Business and Professions Code section 19881 related to corporations and articles of incorporation. The bill contains other related provisions.

Effective date: September 26, 2013

SB 820 (Committee on Governmental Organization, Chapter 353, Statutes of 2013) - State Government Reorganization.

This bill, an urgency measure, makes various substantive and nonsubstantive amendments to implement the Governor's Reorganization Plan of 2012. The bill, in part, makes conforming name and function changes and other technical changes to properly reflect the assignment and reorganization of the functions of state government. As it relates to the Commission, the bill makes substantive and nonsubstantive changes to: (1) the Business and Professions Code related to licenses, permits or other approvals issued by the Commission; and, (2) the Penal Code related to the Remote Caller Bingo Program.

Effective date: September 26, 2013

Problem Gambling

Gambling Control Bill 2013 Star

AB 75 (Committee on Budget, Chapter 22, Statutes of 2013) - Alcohol and Drug Programs: Problem Gambling.

This bill, an urgency measure transfers the administration of prevention, treatment, and recovery services for alcohol and drug abuse to the State Department of Health Care Services and services for problem gambling (Office of Problem and Pathological Gambling) to the State Department of Public Health, and makes related changes. The bill also amends Section 19954 of the Business and Professions Code to require cardroom licensees to pay the additional one hundred dollars ($100) fee for each gambling table to the Department of Public Health instead of the Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs. This fee would continue to be deposited in the Gambling Addiction Program Fund to benefit persons with a gambling addiction problem. The bill contains other related provisions.

Effective date: July 1, 2013

Tribal

AB 277 (Hall, Chapter 51, Statutes of 2013) – Tribal-State Gaming Compact Ratification.

Gambling control bill 2013 ireland

This bill, an urgency measure, ratifies the Tribal-State Gaming Compact entered into between the State of California and the North Fork Rancheria Band of Mono Indians, executed on August 31, 2012. The bill also ratifies the Tribal-State Gaming Compact entered into between the State of California and the Wiyot Tribe, executed on March 20, 2013. The bill would provide that, in deference to tribal sovereignty, certain actions are not projects for purposes of CEQA.
Note: A referendum proposing to overturn ratification of these Compacts will be placed on the November, 2014 ballot. The referendum would require approval by a majority of voters.

Effective date: July 3, 2013

AB 1042 (Hall, Chapter 746, Statutes of 2013) - Indian Gaming Special Distribution Fund.

This bill expands the information that is required to be included in the annual May Budget revision related to revenues in the Indian Gaming Special Distribution Fund that will be available for local government agencies impacted by tribal gaming. Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Finance, in consultation with the Commission, to provide a recommendation regarding the total revenue in the Indian Gaming Special Distribution Fund that will be available for the current budget year for the local government agencies. In addition, the bill requires additional fiscal information to be provided with this recommendation, as specified. The bill also appropriates $9.1 million from the Indian Gaming Special Distribution Fund to the Commission in FY 2013-14 for grants to local government agencies to mitigate the off-reservation impacts of tribal gaming.
Note: The Governor's signing message reduced the appropriation in the bill from $13 million to $9.1 million.

Effective date: January 1, 2014

AB 1245 (V. Manuel Pérez, Chapter 462, Statutes of 2013) - Tribal-State Gaming Compact Ratification.

This bill, an urgency measure, ratifies the Tribal-State Gaming Compact entered into between the State of California and the Ramona Band of Cahuilla, executed on June 10, 2013. The bill would provide that, in deference to tribal sovereignty, certain actions are not projects for purposes of California Environmental Quality Act.

Effective date: October 1, 2013

AB 1267 (Hall, Chapter 6, Statutes of 2013) - Tribal-State Gaming Compact Ratification.

This bill, an urgency measure, ratifies the amendment to the Tribal-State Gaming Compact entered into between the State of California and the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians, executed on November 15, 2012. The bill provides that, in deference to tribal sovereignty, certain actions may not be deemed projects for purposes of.

Gambling Control Bill 2013 Worth

Effective date: May 30, 2013

Gambling Control Bill 2013 Series

SB 668 (Fuller, Chapter 67, Statutes of 2013) - Tribal-State Gaming Compact Ratification.

Gambling Control Bill 2013 Ireland

This bill, an urgency measure, ratifies the Tribal-State Gaming Compact entered into between the State of California and the Fort Independence Indian Community of Paiute Indians, executed on February 28, 2013. The bill provides that, in deference to tribal sovereignty, certain actions are not projects for purposes of California Environmental Quality Act.

Effective date: July 11, 2013





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