2024 24LSO-0600
STATE OF WYOMING
HOUSE BILL NO. HB0206
Pari-mutuel wagering activities-amendments-2.
Sponsored by: Representative(s) Newsome, Davis and Larson,
JT and Senator(s) Ellis and Schuler
A BILL
for
1 AN ACT relating to gaming; specifying persons involved in
2 horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering activities who shall
3 be subject to criminal background checks; specifying
4 rulemaking requirements for the Wyoming gaming commission;
5 providing definitions; and providing for an effective date.
6
7 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:
8
9 Section 1. W.S. 11-25-104(e) and (f) is amended to
10 read:
11
12 11-25-104. Gaming commission; officers; director;
13 meetings; quorum; records; licenses generally; effect of
14 financial interest in events.
15
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1 (e) The commission may authorize by license or permit
2 and supervise all the conduct of all events provided for
3 and regulated by this act. The commission may make
4 reasonable rules for the control, supervision and direction
5 of applicants, permittees and licensees. The rules shall
6 include procedures for resolving scheduling conflicts and
7 settling disputes between permittees, for the supervising,
8 disciplining, suspending, fining and barring from
9 pari-mutuel events of all persons required to be licensed
10 or permitted by this act, and for the holding, conducting
11 and operating of all pari-mutuel events pursuant to this
12 act. The rules shall include requirements for internal
13 controls for all aspects of pari-mutuel wagering, including
14 procedures for system integrity, system security,
15 operations and accounting. The commission may require that
16 license applicants be fingerprinted for identification
17 purposes as a condition of licensing. The commission shall
18 announce the place, time and duration of pari-mutuel events
19 for which license or permit fees shall be required and
20 establish reasonable fees for all licenses and permits
21 provided for by this act. The fees shall be established to
22 ensure that the costs of administering this act are
23 recovered through the total revenues received under this
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1 act. The commission shall establish security access
2 safeguards for licensees to use for advance deposit
3 pari-mutuel wagering. The commission shall prohibit advance
4 deposit pari-mutuel advertising that it determines to be
5 deceptive to the public.
6
7 (f) Each permittee, participant and licensee, any
8 current and prospective employee, volunteer and contract
9 employee of a permittee or participant who is directly
10 involved in the licensee and each person who has access to
11 restricted areas or animals housed on permitted event
12 grounds for horse racing or for pari-mutuel wagering
13 activities of the permittee or participant, as defined in
14 commission rule and regulation, shall be licensed by the
15 commission and shall comply with all rules and regulations
16 and all orders issued by the commission. No person shall
17 hold any event with pari-mutuel wagering without obtaining
18 a permit. The commission shall require that all permittees,
19 licensees, current and prospective employees, volunteers
20 and contract employees of a permittee or licensee and each
21 person who has access to restricted areas or animals housed
22 on permitted event grounds for horse racing or for
23 pari-mutuel activities submit fingerprints to the Wyoming
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1 division of criminal investigation to perform a criminal
2 history background check pursuant to W.S. 7-19-201 in order
3 to obtain state and national criminal history record
4 information. The division may share the results of the
5 criminal history background check with the commission
6 pursuant to W.S. 7-19-106(a)(xxxv). For purposes of this
7 subsection, permittees, licensees, current and prospective
8 employees, volunteers and contract employees of a permittee
9 or licensee, shall include the following as defined:
10
11 (i) "Assistant starter" means a person who
12 handles a horse in the starting gate on race day and during
13 training;
14
15 (ii) "Assistant trainer" means a person who is
16 designated by the trainer to make decisions on behalf of
17 the trainer during the trainer’s absence;
18
19 (iii) "Clerk of scales" means a person whose
20 primary responsibility is to weigh the riders before and
21 after a race to ensure proper weight is carried;
22
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1 (iv) "Commission or permittee employee" means a
2 person who is an employee that by virtue of their required
3 duties has access to restricted areas of the permitted
4 event grounds or has access to information that is limited
5 by law or confidential in nature and could effectuate or
6 manipulate wagering activity or wagering information;
7
8 (v) "Commission safety officer" means a person
9 who is employed by the commission to monitor activities and
10 practices in the stable area, barn area and on the
11 racetrack for compliance with this act and rules of the
12 commission;
13
14 (vi) "Commission veterinarian" means a Wyoming
15 licensed veterinarian hired directly by the commission;
16
17 (vii) "Exercise rider" means a person who
18 exercises a horse during a training session;
19
20 (viii) "Farrier" means a person who provides
21 hoof care, including the trimming and balancing of horses
22 hooves and placing of shoes on hooves, if necessary;
23
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1 (ix) "Groom" means a person who cleans stalls,
2 bathes, brushes and provides general care to a race horse;
3
4 (x) "Horseman's bookkeeper" means a person whose
5 primary responsibility is to keep and preserve books which
6 will reflect the deposits or other credits and withdrawals
7 or other charges that may be made by an owner or other
8 licensee;
9
10 (xi) "Host facility" means a person who leases
11 their property to a permitholder to operate or host
12 pari-mutuel wagering;
13
14 (xii) "Identifier" means a person who verifies
15 the identity of each race horse prior to the race;
16
17 (xiii) "Jockey" means a person who is a race
18 rider of a horse, including a licensed jockey or an
19 apprentice jockey;
20
21 (xiv) "Jockey agent" means a person who handles
22 the daily business of a jockey or apprentice;
23
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1 (xv) "Mutuel employee" means a person who acts
2 under the direction of the mutuel managers and sells
3 betting tickets;
4
5 (xvi) "Mutuel manager" means a person who is an
6 employee of the permittee who manages the mutuel department
7 overseeing all wagering activity;
8
9 (xvii) "Owner" means a person who is the owner,
10 part owner or lessee of a horse;
11
12 (xviii) "Paddock judge" means a person who is
13 responsible for the paddock area and saddling routine of
14 the race horses;
15
16 (xix) "Pari-mutuel service provider" means any
17 business or person providing goods or services to a
18 pari-mutuel permitholder who is required to have access to
19 designated and secured areas of the pari-mutuel event or
20 provides direct services for the support of players or
21 wagering terminals;
22
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1 (xx) "Patrol judge" means a person who observes
2 the progress of a race from various vantage points around
3 the track;
4
5 (xxi) "Permitholder" means a person or entity
6 holding a permit issued by the Wyoming gaming commission to
7 operate a pari-mutuel facility;
8
9 (xxii) "Permittee official" means any mutuel
10 manager, steward, events judge, placing judge, patrol
11 judge, paddock judge, clerk of scale, identifier, starter,
12 horsemen bookkeeper, track safety officer, racing secretary
13 and track superintendent who by virtue of their position
14 has unrestricted access to the pari-mutuel event grounds
15 and animals participating;
16
17 (xxiii) "Placing judge" means a person who posts
18 the order of finish in a race;
19
20 (xxiv) "Pony rider" means a person that rides a
21 horse while leading another race horse, either during a
22 training session or escorting the race horse to the post on
23 race days;
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1
2 (xxv) "Private practice veterinarian" means a
3 Wyoming licensed veterinarian hired to provide services to
4 owners and trainers;
5
6 (xxvi) "Racing secretary" means a person who
7 drafts conditions of races and assigns weights for handicap
8 events;
9
10 (xxvii) "Rodeo contestant" means a person who is
11 a contestant in a pari-mutuel rodeo event licensed by the
12 commission;
13
14 (xxviii) "Rodeo stock contractor" means a person
15 who provides livestock for the pari-mutuel rodeo event;
16
17 (xxix) "Security employee" means a person who is
18 responsible for the protection of property, people, acting
19 in accordance with the permittee's guidelines;
20
21 (xxx) "Service provider employee" means a person
22 who is an employee of the pari-mutuel service providers who
23 provide additional support to the vendor;
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1
2 (xxxi) "Starter" means a person who is
3 responsible for the official dispatching of horses for a
4 race;
5
6 (xxxii) "Steward or event judge" means a person
7 who is the head event official, or their designee, charged
8 with the duty of making sure the events comply with this
9 act and the rules of the commission;
10
11 (xxxiii) "Track safety officer" means a person
12 who monitors the paddock and racetrack areas during all
13 training and racing hours for safety related issues;
14
15 (xxxiv) "Track superintendent" means a person
16 who is responsible for all track maintenance, ensuring that
17 the track surface is properly groomed and prepared for
18 training and racing hours;
19
20 (xxxv) "Trainer" means a person who is engaged
21 in the training of race horses;
22
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1 (xxxvi) "Valet" means a person who assists in
2 the saddling of horses for the jockeys in a pari-mutuel
3 event;
4
5 (xxxvii) "Veterinarian assistant" means a person
6 who is hired by a commission veterinarian or a private
7 practice veterinarian to assist in providing veterinarian
8 services under the direct supervision of a licensed
9 veterinarian.
10
11 Section 2. This act is effective immediately upon
12 completion of all acts necessary for a bill to become law
13 as provided by Article 4, Section 8 of the Wyoming
14 Constitution.
15
16 (END)
11 HB0206
Statutes affected: Introduced: 11-25-104