§ 11-65-25 — Review of Applications for Permits

A commission shall promptly consider any application for a permit submitted to it and shall issue or deny such permit based on the information in the application and all other information before it, including the results of any investigation it deems appropriate. If an application for a permit is approved, the commission approving such application shall issue a permit which shall be valid for one year and shall contain such information as the commission deems appropriate.
A commission shall deny any such application and refuse to issue a permit, which denial shall be final unless an appeal is taken under the provisions of this chapter, if it finds that the issuance of such permit to the applicant therefor would not be in the interest of the applicant, the people of the sponsoring municipality, or the integrity or reputation of the horse racing industry or the greyhound racing industry in the sponsoring municipality, or that the applicant:
(1) Has knowingly made a false statement of a material fact in the application or has deliberately failed to disclose any information called for by the application;
(2) Is or has been guilty of any corrupt or fraudulent practice or conduct in connection with any horse racing or greyhound racing activity in the state or any other state;
(3) Has failed to comply with the provisions of this chapter or the reasonable rules and regulations of the commission;
(4) Has had a permit to engage in an activity related to horse racing or greyhound racing denied for just cause, suspended, or revoked in any other state, and such denial, suspension, or revocation is still in effect; or
(5) Is unqualified to perform the duties required for the permit sought.
No commission shall have the right to delay or deny the issuance of a permit for any reason other than findings made pursuant to this section concerning the integrity, suitability, or other relevant qualifications of the person applying for such permit. No commission shall use its power to withhold any permit as a means of obtaining concessions from an operator with respect to any matter under the jurisdiction of a commission that may be the subject of disagreement or controversy between the commission and such operator, including, without limitation, scheduling of racing programs, dissatisfaction with any contract of such operator submitted for the commission’s approval, or access to confidential information concerning such operator that is not required to be disclosed. If any permit is neither granted by the commission, nor expressly denied by the commission on the basis of findings made in accordance with this section, nor the application therefor withdrawn by the person seeking such permit, in any such case within 30 days after the submission of the application for such permit, such application shall be deemed approved and the commission shall forthwith issue such permit to the person applying therefor; provided, however, that any permit issued pursuant to such deemed approval shall be subject to suspension or revocation by the commission pursuant to Section 11-65-26 on the basis of facts or information subsequently coming to the attention of the commission that were not available to it at the time of such deemed approval.

Legislative History

(Acts 1984, No. 84-131, p. 159, §25; Acts 1991, No. 91-187, p. 246, §21.)