HB-6527, As Passed House, December 7, 2006

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE BILL No. 6527

September 14, 2006, Introduced by Reps. Tobocman, Accavitti, Condino, Bieda, Alma Smith, Hunter, Leland, Virgil Smith, Farrah, Cushingberry, Lemmons, Jr., Drolet, Brown, Adamini, Wenke, Stewart, Gaffney and Lemmons, III and referred to the Committee on Government Operations.

 

     A bill to amend the Initiated Law of 1996, entitled

 

"Michigan gaming control and revenue act,"

 

by amending section 2 (MCL 432.202), as amended by 1997 PA 69.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:

 

     Sec. 2. As used in this act:

 

     (a) "Adjusted gross receipts" means the gross receipts less

 

winnings paid to wagerers.

 

     (b) "Affiliate" means a person who, directly or indirectly,

 

through 1 or more intermediaries, controls, is controlled by, or is

 

under common control with; is in a partnership or joint venture

 

relationship with; or is a co-shareholder of a corporation, a co-

 

member of a limited liability company, or co-partner in a limited

 

liability partnership with a person who holds or applies for a

 

casino license under this act.

 


     (c) "Affiliated company" means any form of business

 

organization  which  that controls, is controlled by or is under

 

common control with; is in a partnership or joint venture

 

relationship with; or is a co-shareholder of a corporation, a co-

 

member of a limited liability company, or co-partner in a limited

 

liability partnership with a person who holds or applies for a

 

casino license under this act.

 

     (d) "Agent" means any person who is employed by any agency of

 

the state, other than the board, the department of state police, or

 

the department of attorney general, who is assigned to perform

 

full-time services on behalf of or for the benefit of the board

 

regardless of the title or position held by that person.

 

     (e) "Applicant" means any person who applies for a license or

 

for registration under this act.  The term applicant  As used in

 

sections 4a(1)(a),  5(1),  5(2) to (4),  5(3), 5(4),  6(3) to (5)

 

and (9),  6(4), 6(5), 6(9),  and 7a(4),  7a(5), and 7a(11) shall

 

include  (5), and (11), applicant includes an affiliate, affiliated

 

company, officer, director, or managerial employee of the applicant

 

or a person who holds greater than 1% direct or indirect interest

 

in the applicant. As used in this subdivision, "affiliate" and

 

"affiliated company" do not include a partnership, a joint venture

 

relationship, a co-shareholder of a corporation, a co-member of a

 

limited liability company, or a co-partner in a limited liability

 

partnership that has less than 1% direct interest in the applicant

 

and is not involved in the casino or casino enterprise application

 

as defined in rules promulgated by the board.

 

     (f) "Board" means the Michigan gaming control board.

 


     (g) "Casino" means a building in which gaming is conducted.

 

     (h) "Casino enterprise" means the buildings, facilities, or

 

rooms functionally or physically connected to a casino, including

 

but not limited to any bar, restaurant, hotel, cocktail lounge,

 

retail establishment, or arena or any other facility located in a

 

city under the control of a casino licensee or affiliated company.

 

     (i) "Certified development agreement" means a development

 

agreement that has been certified by a city and submitted to the

 

Michigan gaming control board.

 

     (j) "Chairperson" means the chairperson of the board.

 

     (k) "Cheat" means to alter the selection of criteria  which  

 

that determine the result of a gambling game or the amount or

 

frequency of payment in a gambling game, in violation of this act

 

or rules promulgated under this act.

 

     (l) "City" means a local unit of government other than a county  

 

which  that meets all of the following criteria:

 

     (i) Has a population of at least 800,000 at the time a license

 

is issued.

 

     (ii) Is located within 100 miles of any other state or country

 

in which gaming was permitted on December 5, 1996.

 

     (iii) Had a majority of voters who expressed approval of casino

 

gaming in the city.

 

     (m) "Company" means a sole proprietorship, corporation,

 

partnership, limited liability partnership, limited liability

 

company, trust, association, joint stock company, joint venture,

 

tribal corporation, or other form of business organization.

 

     (n) "Compensation" means any money, thing of value, or

 


financial benefit conferred on or received by a person in return

 

for services rendered, or to be rendered, whether by that person or

 

another.

 

     (o) "Conflict of interest" means a situation in which the

 

private interest of a member, employee, or agent of the board may

 

influence the judgment of the member, employee, or agent in the

 

performance of his or her public duty under this act. A conflict of

 

interest includes, but is not limited to, the following:

 

     (i) Any conduct that would lead a reasonable person, knowing

 

all of the circumstances, to conclude that the member, employee, or

 

agent of the board is biased against or in favor of an applicant.

 

     (ii) Acceptance of any form of compensation other than from the

 

board for any services rendered as part of the official duties of

 

the member, employee, or agent for the board.

 

     (iii) Participation in any business being transacted with or

 

before the board in which the member, employee, or agent of the

 

board or his or her parent, spouse, or child has a financial

 

interest.

 

     (iv) Use of the position, title, or any related authority of

 

the member, employee, or agent of the board in a manner designed

 

for personal gain or benefit.

 

     (v) Demonstration, through work or other action in the

 

performance of the official duties of the member, employee, or

 

agent of the board, of any preferential attitude or treatment of

 

any person.

 

     (p) "Control" means having a greater than 15% direct or

 

indirect pecuniary interest in the casino gaming operation with

 


respect to which the license is sought.

 

     (q) "Department" means the department of treasury.

 

     (r) "Development agreement" means a written agreement between

 

a city and a person naming the person as the designated developer

 

of a casino in the city and covering certain subjects including,

 

but not limited to  :  approval by the city of the location of the

 

casino; certification by the city that the applicant has sufficient

 

financial resources to construct and open the casino  which  that

 

it proposes to develop; zoning and site plan requirements; utility

 

connection fees; infrastructure improvements; requirements to

 

utilize local businesses and small businesses as suppliers;

 

employment issues; compulsive gambling programs; insurance

 

requirements; conceptual design approval; reimbursement for

 

predevelopment and infrastructure costs, traffic engineering, and

 

other transportation costs; plans for completion of destination

 

attractions either within or outside the casino facility; and

 

ancillary development rights.

 

     (s) "Disciplinary action"  is  means an action by the board

 

suspending or revoking a license  ,  or fining, excluding,

 

reprimanding, or otherwise penalizing a person for violating this

 

act or rules promulgated by the board.

 

     (t) "Ex parte communication" means any communication, direct

 

or indirect, regarding a licensing application, disciplinary

 

action, or a contested case under this act other than communication

 

that takes place during a meeting or hearing conducted under this

 

act.

 

     (u) "Financial interest" or "financially interested" means any

 


interest in investments, awarding of contracts, grants, loans,

 

purchases, leases, sales, or similar matters under consideration or

 

consummated by the board. A member, employee, or agent of the board  

 

will be  is considered to have a financial interest in a matter

 

under consideration if any of the following circumstances exist:

 

     (i) He or she owns 1% or more of any class of outstanding

 

securities that are issued by a party to the matter under

 

consideration or consummated by the board.

 

     (ii) He or she is employed by or is an independent contractor

 

for a party to the matter under consideration or consummated by the

 

board.

 

     (v) "Gambling game" means any game played with cards, dice,

 

equipment, or a machine, including any mechanical,

 

electromechanical, or electronic device,  which shall include  

 

including computers and cashless wagering systems, for money,

 

credit, or any representative of value, including, but not limited

 

to, faro, monte, roulette, keno, bingo, fan tan, twenty one,

 

blackjack, seven and a half, klondike, craps, poker, chuck a luck,

 

Chinese chuck a luck (dai shu), wheel of fortune, chemin de fer,

 

baccarat, pai gow, beat the banker, panguingui, slot machine, any

 

banking or percentage game, or any other game or device approved by

 

the board.  , but  Gambling game does not include games played with

 

cards in private homes or residences in which no person makes money

 

for operating the game, except as a player.

 

     (w) "Gambling operation" means the conduct of authorized

 

gambling games in a casino.

 

     (x) "Gaming" means to deal, operate, carry on, conduct,

 


House Bill No. 6527 as amended December 7, 2006

maintain, or expose or offer for play any gambling game or gambling

 

operation.

 

     (y) "Gaming employee" means an individual connected directly

 

with the operation of gaming. [                                   

 

                                                          

 

                                                       ] Gaming

 

employee includes all of the following:

 

     (i) An individual who performs accounting or internal auditing

 

services if the individual is directly involved in keeping or

 

examining records associated with revenue from gaming.

 

     (ii) A boxman.

 

     (iii) A cashier.

 

     (iv) A change worker.

 

     (v) A counting room worker.

 

     (vi) A dealer.

 

     (vii) A floorman.

 

     (viii) A host or other individual empowered to extend credit or

 

complimentary services.

 

     (ix) A keno runner.

 

     (x) A keno writer.

 

     (xi) A machine mechanic.

 

     (xii) An odds maker or line setter.

 

     (xiii) A security worker.

 

     (xiv) A shift or pit boss.

 

     (xv) A shill.

 

     (xvi) A supervisor or manager.

 

     (xvii) A ticket writer.

 


     (z)  (y)  "Gross receipts" means the total of all sums

 

including valid or invalid checks, currency, tokens, coupons,

 

vouchers, or instruments of monetary value whether collected or

 

uncollected, received by a casino licensee from gaming, including

 

all entry fees assessed for tournaments or other contests, less a

 

deduction for uncollectible gaming receivables not to exceed the

 

uncollectible amounts owed as a result of wagers placed at or

 

through a gambling game or 4% of the total gross receipts,

 

whichever is less. The licensee shall not receive the deduction

 

unless the licensee provides written proof to the state treasurer

 

of the uncollected gaming receivables and  had  complied with all

 

rules promulgated by the board regarding the issuance of credit and

 

the collection of amounts due under a credit extension.

 

     (aa)  (z)  "Institutional investor" means any retirement fund

 

administered by a public agency for the exclusive benefit of

 

federal, state, or local public employees, an employee benefit

 

plan, or pension fund that is subject to the employee retirement

 

income security act of 1974,  as amended  29 USC 1001 to 1461, an

 

investment company registered under the investment company act of

 

1940,  title I of chapter 686, 54 Stat. 789, 15 U.S.C. 80a-1 to

 

80a-3 and 80a-4  15 USC 80a-1 to 80a-64, a collective investment

 

trust organized by a bank under part 9 of the rules of the

 

comptroller of the currency, a closed end investment trust, a

 

chartered or licensed life insurance company or property and

 

casualty insurance company, a chartered or licensed financial

 

institution, an investment advisor registered under the investment

 

advisers act of 1940,  title II of chapter 686, 54 Stat. 847,  15  

 


U.S.C.  USC 80b-1 to 80b-21, or any other person as the board may

 

determine for reasons consistent with this act.

 

     (bb)  (aa)  "Investigative hearing" means any hearing

 

conducted by the board or its authorized representative to

 

investigate and gather information or evidence regarding pending

 

license applications, applicants, licensees, or alleged or apparent

 

violations of this act or rules promulgated by the board.

 

     (cc)  (bb)  "Junket enterprise" means any person other than a

 

casino licensee or applicant who employs or otherwise engages in

 

the procurement or referral of persons who may participate in a

 

junket to a casino licensed under this act or casino enterprise

 

whether or not those activities occur  within the  in this state.

 

     (dd)  (cc)  "Managerial employee" means a person who by virtue

 

of the level of  their  his or her remuneration or otherwise holds

 

a management, supervisory, or policy making position with any

 

licensee under this act, a vendor, or the board.

 

     (ee)  (dd)  "Member" means a board member appointed to the  

 

Michigan gaming control  board under this act.

 

     (ff)  (ee)  "Occupational license" means a license issued by

 

the board to a person to act as a gaming employee or to perform an

 

occupation  in a casino or casino enterprise which  that the board

 

has identified as  requiring a license to engage in casino gaming

 

in Michigan  having the power to exercise a significant influence

 

over the operation of gaming under this act.

 

     (gg)  (ff)  "Person" means an individual, corporation, limited

 

liability company, association, partnership, limited liability

 

partnership, trust, entity, or other legal entity.

 


     (hh)  (gg)  "Supplier" means a person who the board has

 

identified under rules promulgated by the board as requiring a

 

license to provide casino licensees or casino enterprises with

 

goods or services regarding the realty, construction, maintenance,

 

or business of a proposed or existing casino, casino enterprise, or

 

related facility on a regular or continuing basis, including, but

 

not limited to, junket enterprises, security businesses,

 

manufacturers, distributors, persons who service gaming devices or

 

equipment, garbage haulers, maintenance companies, food purveyors,

 

and construction companies.

 

     (ii)  (hh)  "Vendor" means a person who is not licensed under

 

this act who supplies any goods or services to a casino licensee or

 

supplier licensee.

 

     (jj)  (ii)  "Wagerer" means a person who plays a gambling game

 

authorized under this act.

 

     (kk)  (jj)  "Winnings" means the total cash value of all

 

property or sums including currency, tokens, or instruments of

 

monetary value paid to wagerers as a direct result of wagers placed

 

at or through a gambling game.