HB2443 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB094 09991 AMC 40249 b

94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2005 and 2006
HB2443

Introduced 02/17/05, by Rep. Patricia R. Bellock - Eileen Lyons

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

230 ILCS 10/11

from Ch. 120, par. 2411

Amends the Riverboat Gambling Act. Provides that, upon the request of the Department of Public Aid, the Office of the Attorney General, or an Illinois State's Attorney, owner licensees must disclose the last known address of any person gambling or licensed under the Act to the requesting agency. Provides that disclosure by an owner licensee is required only for those individuals who have registered with the owner licensee's programs or who have obtained any privilege or service from the owner licensee that requires the disclosure of identity and residence and that the information shall be used by the requesting agency for the sole purpose of enforcing court-ordered child support payments. Provides that, before an owner licensee or an employee of the owner licensee may make certain disbursements or exchanges, the owner licensee or the employee must certify with the Department of Public Aid that the person does not have an unsatisfied judgment of default of court-ordered child support payments and if a person eligible for the disbursement or attempting the exchange has an unsatisfied judgment, the owner licensee or his or her employee shall withhold the amount of the judgment, which shall be remitted to the Department of Public Aid.

FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning gaming.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 5. The Riverboat Gambling Act is amended by changing Section 11 as follows:

(230 ILCS 10/11) (from Ch. 120, par. 2411)

Sec. 11. Conduct of gambling. Gambling may be conducted by licensed owners or licensed managers on behalf of the State aboard riverboats, subject to the following standards:

(1) A licensee may conduct riverboat gambling authorized under this Act regardless of whether it conducts excursion cruises. A licensee may permit the continuous ingress and egress of passengers for the purpose of gambling.

(2) (Blank).

(3) Minimum and maximum wagers on games shall be set by the licensee.

(4) Agents of the Board and the Department of State Police may board and inspect any riverboat at any time for the purpose of determining whether this Act is being complied with. Every riverboat, if under way and being hailed by a law enforcement officer or agent of the Board, must stop immediately and lay to.

(5) Employees of the Board shall have the right to be present on the riverboat or on adjacent facilities under the control of the licensee.

(6) Gambling equipment and supplies customarily used in conducting riverboat gambling must be purchased or leased only from suppliers licensed for such purpose under this Act.

(7) Persons licensed under this Act shall permit no form of wagering on gambling games except as permitted by this Act.

(8) Wagers may be received only from a person present on a licensed riverboat. No person present on a licensed riverboat shall place or attempt to place a wager on behalf of another person who is not present on the riverboat.

(9) Wagering shall not be conducted with money or other negotiable currency.

(10) A person under age 21 shall not be permitted on an area of a riverboat where gambling is being conducted, except for a person at least 18 years of age who is an employee of the riverboat gambling operation. No employee under age 21 shall perform any function involved in gambling by the patrons. No person under age 21 shall be permitted to make a wager under this Act.

(11) Gambling excursion cruises are permitted only when the waterway for which the riverboat is licensed is navigable, as determined by the Board in consultation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. This paragraph (11) does not limit the ability of a licensee to conduct gambling authorized under this Act when gambling excursion cruises are not permitted.

(12) All tokens, chips or electronic cards used to make wagers must be purchased from a licensed owner or manager either aboard a riverboat or at an onshore facility which has been approved by the Board and which is located where the riverboat docks. The tokens, chips or electronic cards may be purchased by means of an agreement under which the owner or manager extends credit to the patron. Such tokens, chips or electronic cards may be used while aboard the riverboat only for the purpose of making wagers on gambling games.

(13) Notwithstanding any other Section of this Act, in addition to the other licenses authorized under this Act, the Board may issue special event licenses allowing persons who are not otherwise licensed to conduct riverboat gambling to conduct such gambling on a specified date or series of dates. Riverboat gambling under such a license may take place on a riverboat not normally used for riverboat gambling. The Board shall establish standards, fees and fines for, and limitations upon, such licenses, which may differ from the standards, fees, fines and limitations otherwise applicable under this Act. All such fees shall be deposited into the State Gaming Fund. All such fines shall be deposited into the Education Assistance Fund, created by Public Act 86-0018, of the State of Illinois.

(14) Upon the request of the Department of Public Aid, the Office of the Attorney General, or an Illinois State's Attorney, owner licensees must disclose the last known address of any person gambling or licensed under this Act to the requesting agency. Disclosure by an owner licensee is required only for those individuals who have registered with the owner licensee's programs or who have obtained any privilege or service from the owner licensee that requires the disclosure of identity and residence. An owner licensee who discloses information to the requesting agency shall be held harmless from any liability stemming from each such disclosure. Information provided by an owner licensee shall be used by the requesting agency for the sole purpose of enforcing court-ordered child support payments and not for any other purpose, unless specifically authorized by this Act.

(15) Before an owner licensee or an employee of the owner licensee may disburse a jackpot in excess of $1,200 or exchange chips, tokens, or vouchers for any amount in which verification of identity is required, the owner licensee or the employee must certify with the Department of Public Aid that the person does not have an unsatisfied judgment of default of court-ordered child support payments. The Department of Public Aid must establish a means by which an owner licensee or an employee of the owner licensee may make such a certification, and, if the person does have a judgment, must certify the amount of the judgment. If a person eligible for disbursement or attempting to exchange chips, tokens, or vouchers has an unsatisfied judgment, the owner licensee or his or her employee shall withhold the amount of the judgment. Jackpots and winnings withheld under this item (15) shall be remitted to the Department of Public Aid. If the amount of judgment is equal to or more than the amount of the winnings, then the owner shall withhold the amount required by the Internal Revenue Service before remitting the remainder to the Department of Public Aid. For the purposes of this item (15), owner licensees that rely on the certification of delinquency made by the Department of Public Aid shall be held harmless for withholding payment of the jackpot or refusing to process the transaction. A person whose payment is withheld or transaction is denied under this item (15) may obtain relief from the Department of Public Aid in the same manner as provided in Section 10-65 of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act for licensing disputes.

(16) In addition to the above, gambling must be conducted in accordance with all rules adopted by the Board.

(Source: P.A. 93-28, eff. 6-20-03.)