Substitute Senate Bill No. 132, known as Public Act No. 24-1, is an act that makes significant changes to the laws governing horse racing, jai alai events, and off-track betting in the state, with a particular focus on the exclusion of dog racing from authorized activities. The bill repeals and replaces sections of the statutes to remove provisions related to dog racing, including the removal of language concerning the treatment of animals at dog race tracks and the requirement for the commissioner to notify the National Greyhound Association about regulations. It increases the commissioner's authority to impose fines for violations, allows for the delegation of license suspension powers, and updates language to be gender-neutral. The bill also specifies that the majority of the board of directors of any corporation licensed to operate the off-track betting system or to hold or conduct any meeting must be Connecticut residents, and it sets the license validity period to not more than one year from the date of issuance.

The bill further revises the tax structure for pari-mutuel wagering, with tiered tax rates for horse racing and a tax equal to one-half of the breakage to the dime resulting from wagering. It mandates that taxes are due by the next banking day after each day's racing or jai alai exhibition and adjusts payments made to municipalities based on wagering activities. Additionally, the bill specifies additional payments to the city of New Haven and the town of Windsor Locks for simulcasting facilities and allows municipalities to credit or rebate revenue back to pari-mutuel facilities under certain conditions. It also updates regulations for the registration and licensing of entities involved in pari-mutuel wagering, removes greyhound racing from the list of events for which the commissioner may employ judges, and amends the definition of areas where smoking and the use of electronic nicotine or cannabis delivery systems or vapor products are prohibited. The effective date for these changes is October 1, 2024.

Statutes affected:
Raised Bill: 12-574c, 12-574a, 12-575, 12-578, 12-559, 12-574d
GL Joint Favorable: 12-574c, 12-574a, 12-575, 12-578, 12-559, 12-574d
File No. 69: 12-574c, 12-574a, 12-575, 12-578, 12-559, 12-574d
Public Act No. 24-1: 12-574c, 12-574a, 12-575, 12-578, 12-559, 12-574d