Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that expands gambling laws.

Highlights:

• Authorizes the owner of a permitted location to establish a charity card room (Sec. 1).

• Defines “permitted location” as a building leased by a county in the state where charitable organizations have held festivals weekly for 18 months immediately preceding the effective date of this bill, at which games of chance were offered (Sec. 1).

• Defines “charity card room” as a facility at a permitted location that offers games of chance conducted by a charitable organization (Sec. 1).

• Specifies that a charity card room is considered a festival if the charitable organization provides a display booth about the charitable organization in the charity card room at all times when it is conducting games of chance (Sec. 1).

• Authorizes a charitable organization to conduct games of chance for up to128 hours annually (Sec. 1).

• Requires a charitable organization to pay the owner of the permitted location 15 percent of the revenue made from conducting the game (Sec. 1).

• Requires a charitable organization to pay for expenses associated with the charity card room, including, but not be limited to, the following (Sec. 1):
• Dealers;
• Payroll administers;
• Security;
• Insurance; and
• Advertising the card game.

• Authorizes racetrack operators and licensed lottery sales agents to provide “video lottery terminal promotional gaming credits” (Sec. 1).

• Defines “video lottery terminal promotional gaming credit” as a credit, discount, or other similar item issued to an individual that enables him or her to place a wager at a video lottery terminal (Sec. 1).

• Requires the state lottery commission to oversee and adopt rules for video lottery terminal promotional gaming credits (Sec. 1).

• Requires 100 percent of net revenue from a charity card room remaining after the payment of expenses and rent to be paid to each charitable organization hosting the games of chance based on each of their volunteer hours (Sec. 1).

• Requires 1 and three-eighth percent of the total money wagered on horse races to be paid to each municipal corporation or township where the track is located (Sec. 1).

• Requires a permit holder at each standardbred and thoroughbred race track to conduct a minimum amount of live racing days for the following years (Sec. 1):
• 75 live racing days in 2013 or the same number of live racing days held in 2012, whichever is greater;
• 100 live racing days in 2014 or the same number of live racing days held in 2012, whichever is greater; and
• Between 125 and 210 live racing days in 2015 and each subsequent year thereafter.

Full Bill Text