State of Illinois
90th General Assembly
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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.)

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