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90_SB1021 230 ILCS 10/7 from Ch. 120, par. 2407 Amends the Riverboat Gambling Act. Provides that any owners license authorizing gambling from a home dock in a municipality with a population of more than 500,000 shall be issued only to the governing board of the municipality, and no such license may be awarded to any other person or entity. LRB9002343LDcw LRB9002343LDcw 1 AN ACT to amend the Riverboat Gambling Act by changing 2 Section 7. 3 Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, 4 represented in the General Assembly: 5 Section 5. The Riverboat Gambling Act is amended by 6 changing Section 7 as follows: 7 (230 ILCS 10/7) (from Ch. 120, par. 2407) 8 Sec. 7. Owners Licenses. 9 (a) The Board shall issue owners licenses to persons, 10 firms or corporations which apply for such licenses upon 11 payment to the Board of the non-refundable license fee set by 12 the Board, upon payment of a $25,000 license fee for the 13 first year of operation and a $5,000 license fee for each 14 succeeding year and upon a determination by the Board that 15 the applicant is eligible for an owners license pursuant to 16 this Act and the rules of the Board. A person, firm or 17 corporation is ineligible to receive an owners license if: 18 (1) the person has been convicted of a felony under 19 the laws of this State, any other state, or the United 20 States; 21 (2) the person has been convicted of any violation 22 of Article 28 of the Criminal Code of 1961, or 23 substantially similar laws of any other jurisdiction; 24 (3) the person has submitted an application for a 25 license under this Act which contains false information; 26 (4) the person is a member of the Board; 27 (5) a person defined in (1), (2), (3) or (4) is an 28 officer, director or managerial employee of the firm or 29 corporation; 30 (6) the firm or corporation employs a person 31 defined in (1), (2), (3) or (4) who participates in the -2- LRB9002343LDcw 1 management or operation of gambling operations authorized 2 under this Act; 3 (7) the person, firm or corporation owns more than 4 a 10% ownership interest in any entity holding an owners 5 license issued under this Act; or 6 (8) a license of the person, firm or corporation 7 issued under this Act, or a license to own or operate 8 gambling facilities in any other jurisdiction, has been 9 revoked. 10 (b) In determining whether to grant an owners license to 11 an applicant, the Board shall consider: 12 (1) the character, reputation, experience and 13 financial integrity of the applicants and of any other or 14 separate person that either: 15 (A) controls, directly or indirectly, such 16 applicant, or 17 (B) is controlled, directly or indirectly, by 18 such applicant or by a person which controls, 19 directly or indirectly, such applicant; 20 (2) the facilities or proposed facilities for the 21 conduct of riverboat gambling; 22 (3) the highest prospective total revenue to be 23 derived by the State from the conduct of riverboat 24 gambling; 25 (4) the good faith affirmative action plan of each 26 applicant to recruit, train and upgrade minorities in all 27 employment classifications; 28 (5) the financial ability of the applicant to 29 purchase and maintain adequate liability and casualty 30 insurance; 31 (6) whether the applicant has adequate 32 capitalization to provide and maintain, for the duration 33 of a license, a riverboat; and 34 (7) the extent to which the applicant exceeds or -3- LRB9002343LDcw 1 meets other standards for the issuance of an owners 2 license which the Board may adopt by rule. 3 (c) Each owners license shall specify the place where 4 riverboats shall operate and dock. 5 (d) Each applicant shall submit with his application, on 6 forms provided by the Board, 2 sets of his fingerprints. 7 (e) The Board may issue up to 10 licenses authorizing 8 the holders of such licenses to own riverboats. In the 9 application for an owners license, the applicant shall state 10 the dock at which the riverboat is based and the navigable 11 stream on which the riverboat will operate. The Board shall 12 issue 5 licenses to become effective not earlier than January 13 1, 1991. Four of such licenses shall authorize riverboat 14 gambling on the Mississippi River, one of which shall 15 authorize riverboat gambling from a home dock in the city of 16 East St. Louis. The other license shall authorize riverboat 17 gambling on the Illinois River south of Marshall County. The 18 Board shall issue 1 additional license to become effective 19 not earlier than March 1, 1992, which shall authorize 20 riverboat gambling on the Des Plaines River in Will County. 21 The Board may issue 4 additional licenses to become effective 22 not earlier than March 1, 1992. In determining the navigable 23 streams upon which riverboats will operate with licenses 24 effective on or after March 1, 1992, the Board shall consider 25 the economic benefit which riverboat gambling confers on the 26 State, and shall seek to assure that all regions of the State 27 share in the economic benefits of riverboat gambling. 28 In granting all licenses, the Board may give favorable 29 consideration to economically depressed areas of the State, 30 to applicants presenting plans which provide for significant 31 economic development over a large geographic area, and to 32 applicants who currently operate non-gambling riverboats in 33 Illinois. The Board shall review all applications for owners 34 licenses, and shall inform each applicant of the Board's -4- LRB9002343LDcw 1 decision. 2 The Board may revoke the owners license of a licensee 3 which fails to begin regular riverboat cruises within 12 4 months of receipt of the Board's approval of the application 5 if the Board determines that license revocation is in the 6 best interests of the State. 7 (f) The first 10 owners licenses issued under this Act 8 shall permit the holder to own up to 2 riverboats and 9 equipment thereon for a period of 3 years after the effective 10 date of the license. Holders of the first 10 owners licenses 11 must pay the annual license fee for each of the 3 years 12 during which they are authorized to own riverboats. 13 (g) Upon the termination, expiration or revocation of 14 each of the first 10 licenses, which shall be issued for a 3 15 year period, all licenses are renewable annually upon payment 16 of the fee and a determination by the Board that the licensee 17 continues to meet all of the requirements of this Act and the 18 Board's rules. 19 (h) An owners license shall entitle the licensee to own 20 up to 2 riverboats. A licensee shall limit the number of 21 gambling participants to 1,200 for any such owners license. 22 Riverboats licensed to operate on the Mississippi River and 23 the Illinois River south of Marshall County shall have an 24 authorized capacity of at least 500 persons. Any other 25 riverboat licensed under this Act shall have an authorized 26 capacity of at least 400 persons. 27 (i) A licensed owner is authorized to apply to the Board 28 for and, if approved therefor, to receive all licenses from 29 the Board necessary for the operation of a riverboat, 30 including a liquor license, a license to prepare and serve 31 food for human consumption, and other necessary licenses. 32 All use, occupation and excise taxes which apply to the sale 33 of food and beverages in this State and all taxes imposed on 34 the sale or use of tangible personal property apply to such -5- LRB9002343LDcw 1 sales aboard the riverboat. 2 (j) None of the first 5 licenses issued by the Board to 3 become effective not earlier than January 1, 1991 shall 4 authorize a riverboat to dock in a municipality with a 5 population of under 2,000; however, this restriction does not 6 apply to any additional licenses issued by the Board to 7 become effective not earlier than March 1, 1992. The Board 8 may issue a license authorizing a riverboat to dock in a 9 municipality only if, prior to the issuance of the license, 10 the governing body of the municipality has by a majority vote 11 approved the docking of riverboats in the municipality. The 12 Board may issue a license authorizing a riverboat to dock in 13 areas of a county outside any municipality only if, prior to 14 the issuance of the license, the governing body of the county 15 has by a majority vote approved of the docking of riverboats 16 within such areas. 17 (k) Nothing in this Act shall be interpreted to prohibit 18 a licensed owner from operating a school for the training of 19 any occupational licensee. 20 (l) Any owners license that authorizes gambling under 21 this Act from a home dock in a municipality with a population 22 of more than 500,000 inhabitants shall be issued only to the 23 governing board of the municipality, and no such license may 24 be awarded to any other person or entity. 25 (Source: P.A. 86-1029; 86-1389; 86-1475; 87-826.)