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March 19, 2024 Clouds | 35°F
The 193rd General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

AN ACT RELATIVE TO HORSE AND GREYHOUND RACING IN THE COMMONWEALTH.

Whereas, The deferred operation of this act would tend to defeat its purpose, which is to further regulate horse and dog racing, therefore it is hereby declared to be an emergency law, necessary for the immediate preservation of the public convenience.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same as follows:

SECTION 1. The first paragraph of section 5C of chapter 128A of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2004 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out the third sentence and inserting in place thereof the following sentence:- An individual who has established a betting account with a racing meeting licensee may deposit money into said account through the use of a credit card or debit card issued by a federal or state-chartered bank and a racing meeting licensee may collect and deposit money received in such a manner at the licensee’s racetrack or through the telephone, Internet or other telecommunications media.

SECTION 2. Section 2 of chapter 128C of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2004 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 45 to 47, inclusive, the words “2 interstate running horse simulcasts prior to 4:00 p.m. on any day during the dark season of the Suffolk county running horse racing meeting” and inserting in place thereof the following words:- 4 interstate running horse simulcasts prior to 4:00 p.m. on any day the Suffolk county running horse racing meeting licensee does not conduct live races.

SECTION 3. Said section 2 of said chapter 128C, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out, in line 54, the figure “6” and inserting in place the following figure:- 3.

SECTION 4. Said section 2 of said chapter 128C, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out, in line 81, the figure “4” and inserting in place the following figure:- 5

SECTION 5. Said section 2 of said chapter 128C, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out, in line 87, the figure “2” and inserting in place the following figure:- 3.

SECTION 6. Said section 2 of said chapter 128C, as so appearing, is hereby amended by inserting after the word “simulcasts”, in line 90, the following words:- ; but if the licensee simulcasts a fifth interstate greyhound simulcast on any single calendar day then the licensee shall pay to the greyhound dog racing meeting licensee in Bristol county a 4 per cent premium for only that fifth interstate greyhound simulcast signal received, over and above the costs of obtaining that signal.

SECTION 7. Said section 2 of said chapter 128C, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out, in lines 153 to 185, inclusive, the words “provided, however, that no racing meeting licensee shall simulcast live races in any racing season unless each racing meeting licensee, with the exception of the running horse racing licensee in Suffolk county and the harness horse racing licensee in Norfolk county, in each of those racing seasons is licensed to and actually conducts not less than a total of 150 racing performances taking place on at least 150 racing days; and provided, further, that the running horse racing meeting licensee in Suffolk county and the harness horse racing licensee in Norfolk county may simulcast live races in any racing season provided that each racing meeting licensee conducts at least 1,100 live horse races over the course of no fewer than 100 calendar days during that racing season with no fewer than 7 races completed on any of those 100 calendar days.” and inserting in place thereof the following words:-provided, however, that no racing meeting licensee shall simulcast live races in any racing season unless the racing meeting licensee is licensed to and actually conducts at least 900 live races over the course of not less than 100 calendar days during that racing season with no fewer than 7 races completed on any of those 100 calendar days.

SECTION 8. The first paragraph of section 12A of chapter 494 of the acts of 1978 is hereby amended by striking out the words “, and until December 31, 2006”, inserted by section 1 of chapter 54 of the acts of 2006, and inserting in place thereof the following words:- , and until December 31, 2008.

SECTION 9. The last paragraph of said section 12A of said chapter 494 is hereby amended by striking out the words “December 31, 2006”, inserted by section 2 of said chapter 54, and inserting in place thereof the following words:- December 31, 2008.

SECTION 10. The introductory paragraph of section 13 of said chapter 494 is hereby amended by striking out the words “, and until December 31, 2006”, inserted by section 3 of said chapter 54, and inserting in place thereof the following words:- , and until December 31, 2008.

SECTION 11. Section 15 of said chapter 494 is hereby amended by striking out the words “, and until December 31, 2006”, inserted by section 4 of said chapter 54, and inserting in place thereof the following words:- , and until December 31, 2008.

SECTION 12. The first paragraph of section 9 of chapter 277 of the acts of 1986 is hereby amended by striking out the words “, and until December 31, 2006”, inserted by section 5 of said chapter 54, and inserting in place thereof the following words:- , and until December 31, 2008.

SECTION 13. The first sentence of the first paragraph of section 3 of chapter 114 of the acts of 1991 is hereby amended by striking out the words “, and until December 31, 2006”, inserted by section 6 of said chapter 54, and inserting in place thereof the following words:- , and until December 31, 2008.

SECTION 14. The last paragraph of said section 3 of said chapter 114 is hereby amended by striking out the words “December 31, 2006”, inserted by section 7 of said chapter 54, and inserting in place thereof the following words:- December 31, 2008.

SECTION 15. The first paragraph of section 4 of said chapter 114 is hereby amended by striking out the words “, and until December 31, 2006”, inserted by section 8 of said chapter 54, and inserting in place thereof the following words:- , and until December 31, 2008.

SECTION 16. The last paragraph of said section 4 of said chapter 114 is hereby amended by striking out the words “December 31, 2006”, inserted by section 9 of said chapter 54, and inserting in place thereof the following words:- December 31, 2008.

SECTION 17. The first paragraph of section 5 of said chapter 114 is hereby amended by striking out the words “, and until December 31, 2006”, inserted by section 10 of said chapter 54, and inserting in place thereof the following words:- , and until December 31, 2008.

SECTION 18. Section 13 of chapter 101 of the acts of 1992 is hereby amended by striking out the words “December 31, 2006”, inserted by section 11 of said chapter 54, and inserting in place thereof the following words:- December 31, 2008.

SECTION 19. Section 45 of chapter 139 of the acts of 2001 is hereby amended by striking out the words “December 31, 2006”, inserted by section 12 of said chapter 54, and inserting in place thereof the following words:-December 31, 2008.

SECTION 20. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, for the purposes of this act and any extension of simulcast horse racing signals in section 2 of chapter 128C of the General Laws, the existing practices used and adopted by the state racing commission shall remain in full force and effect until December 31, 2008.

SECTION 21. This act shall take effect as of March 31, 2006.

Approved January 3, 2007.