§ 20

(a) Any person desiring to conduct a horse race meeting may apply to the Board for an organization license. The application shall be made on a form prescribed and furnished by the Board. The application shall specify: (1) the dates on which it intends to conduct the horse race meeting, which dates shall be provided under Section 21; (2) the hours of each racing day between which it intends to hold or conduct horse racing at such meeting; (3) the location where it proposes to conduct the meeting; and (4) any other information the Board may reasonably require. (b) A separate application for an organization license shall be filed for each horse race meeting which such person proposes to hold. Any such application, if made by an individual, or by any individual as trustee, shall be signed and verified under oath by such individual. If the application is made by individuals, then it shall be signed and verified under oath by at least 2 of the individuals; if the application is made by a partnership, an association, a corporation, a corporate trustee, a limited liability company, or any other entity, it shall be signed by an authorized officer, a partner, a member, or a manager, as the case may be, of the entity. (c) The application shall specify: (1) the name of the persons, association, trust, or corporation making such application; (2) the principal address of the applicant; (3) if the applicant is a trustee, the names and addresses of the beneficiaries; if the applicant is a corporation, the names and addresses of all officers, stockholders and directors; or if such stockholders hold stock as a nominee or fiduciary, the names and addresses of the parties who are the beneficial owners thereof or who are beneficially interested therein; if the applicant is a partnership, the names and addresses of all partners, general or limited; if the applicant is a limited liability company, the names and addresses of the manager and members; and if the applicant is any other entity, the names and addresses of all officers or other authorized persons of the entity. (d) The applicant shall execute and file with the Board a good faith affirmative action plan to recruit, train, and upgrade minorities in all classifications within the association. (e) With such application there shall be delivered to the Board a certified check or bank draft payable to the order of the Board for an amount equal to $1,000. All applications for the issuance of an organization license shall be filed with the Board before August 1 of the year prior to the year for which application is made and shall be acted upon by the Board at a meeting to be held on such date as shall be fixed by the Board during the last 15 days of September of such prior year. At such meeting, the Board shall announce the award of the racing meets, live racing schedule, and designation of host track to the applicants and its approval or disapproval of each application. No announcement shall be considered binding until a formal order is executed by the Board, which shall be executed no later than October 15 of that prior year. Absent the agreement of the affected organization licensees, the Board shall not grant overlapping race meetings to 2 or more tracks that are within 100 miles of each other to conduct the thoroughbred racing. (e-1) The Board shall award standardbred racing dates to organization licensees with an organization gaming license pursuant to the following schedule: (1) For the first calendar year of operation of gambling games by an organization gaming licensee under this amendatory Act of the 101st General Assembly, when a single entity requests standardbred racing dates, the Board shall award no fewer than 100 days of racing. The 100-day requirement may be reduced to no fewer than 80 days if no dates are requested for the first 3 months of a calendar year. If more than one entity requests standardbred racing dates, the Board shall award no fewer than 140 days of racing between the applicants. (2) For the second calendar year of operation of gambling games by an organization gaming licensee under this amendatory Act of the 101st General Assembly, when a single entity requests standardbred racing dates, the Board shall award no fewer than 100 days of racing. The 100-day requirement may be reduced to no fewer than 80 days if no dates are requested for the first 3 months of a calendar year. If more than one entity requests standardbred racing dates, the Board shall award no fewer than 160 days of racing between the applicants. (3) For the third calendar year of operation of gambling games by an organization gaming licensee under this amendatory Act of the 101st General Assembly, and each calendar year thereafter, when a single entity requests standardbred racing dates, the Board shall award no fewer than 120 days of racing. The 120-day requirement may be reduced to no fewer than 100 days if no dates are requested for the first 3 months of a calendar year. If more than one entity requests standardbred racing dates, the Board shall award no fewer than 200 days of racing between the applicants. An organization licensee shall apply for racing dates pursuant to this subsection (e-1). In awarding racing dates under this subsection (e-1), the Board shall have the discretion to allocate those standardbred racing dates among these organization licensees. (e-2) The Board shall award thoroughbred racing days to Cook County organization licensees pursuant to the following schedule: (1) During the first year in which only one organization licensee is awarded an organization gaming license, the Board shall award no fewer than 110 days of racing. During the second year in which only one organization licensee is awarded an organization gaming license, the Board shall award no fewer than 115 racing days. During the third year and every year thereafter, in which only one organization licensee is awarded an organization gaming license, the Board shall award no fewer than 120 racing days. (2) During the first year in which 2 organization licensees are awarded an organization gaming license, the Board shall award no fewer than 139 total racing days. During the second year in which 2 organization licensees are awarded an organization gaming license, the Board shall award no fewer than 160 total racing days. During the third year and every year thereafter in which 2 organization licensees are awarded an organization gaming license, the Board shall award no fewer than 174 total racing days. A Cook County organization licensee shall apply for racing dates pursuant to this subsection (e-2). In awarding racing dates under this subsection (e-2), the Board shall have the discretion to allocate those thoroughbred racing dates among these Cook County organization licensees. (e-3) In awarding racing dates for calendar year 2020 and thereafter in connection with a racetrack in Madison County, the Board shall award racing dates and such organization licensee shall run at least 700 thoroughbred races at the racetrack in Madison County each year. Notwithstanding Section 7.7 of the Illinois Gambling Act or any provision of this Act other than subsection (e-4.5), for each calendar year for which an organization gaming licensee located in Madison County requests racing dates resulting in less than 700 live thoroughbred races at its racetrack facility, the organization gaming licensee may not conduct gaming pursuant to an organization gaming license issued under the Illinois Gambling Act for the calendar year of such requested live races. (e-4) Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 7.7 of the Illinois Gambling Act or any provision of this Act other than subsections (e-3) and (e-4.5), for each calendar year for which an organization gaming licensee requests thoroughbred racing dates which results in a number of live races under its organization license that is less than the total number of live races which it conducted in 2017 at its racetrack facility, the organization gaming licensee may not conduct gaming pursuant to its organization gaming license for the calendar year of such requested live races. (e-4.1) Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 7.7 of the Illinois Gambling Act or any provision of this Act other than subsections (e-3) and (e-4.5), for each calendar year for which an organization licensee requests racing dates for standardbred racing which results in a number of live races that is less than the total number of live races required in subsection (e-1), the organization gaming licensee may not conduct gaming pursuant to its organization gaming license for the calendar year of such requested live races. (e-4.5) The Board shall award the minimum live racing guarantees contained in subsections (e-1), (e-2), and (e-3) to ensure that each organization licensee shall individually run a sufficient number of races per year to qualify for an organization gaming license under this Act. The General Assembly finds that the minimum live racing guarantees contained in subsections (e-1), (e-2), and (e-3) are in the best interest of the sport of horse racing, and that such guarantees may only be reduced in the calendar year in which they will be conducted in the limited circumstances described in this subsection. The Board may decrease the number of racing days without affecting an organization licensee's ability to conduct gaming pursuant to an organization gaming license issued under the Illinois Gambling Act only if the Board determines, after notice and hearing, that: (i) a decrease is necessary to maintain a sufficient number of betting interests per race to ensure the integrity of racing; (ii) there are unsafe track conditions due to weather or acts of God; (iii) there is an agreement between an organization licensee and the breed association that is applicable to the involved live racing guarantee, such association representing either the largest number of thoroughbred owners and trainers or the largest number of standardbred owners, trainers and drivers who race horses at the involved organization licensee's racing meeting, so long as the agreement does not compromise the integrity of the sport of horse racing; or (iv) the horse population or purse levels are insufficient to provide the number of racing opportunities otherwise required in this Act. In decreasing the number of racing dates in accordance with this subsection, the Board shall hold a hearing and shall provide the public and all interested parties notice and an opportunity to be heard. The Board shall accept testimony from all interested parties, including any association representing owners, trainers, jockeys, or drivers who will be affected by the decrease in racing dates. The Board shall provide a written explanation of the reasons for the decrease and the Board's findings. The written explanation shall include a listing and content of all communication between any party and any Illinois Racing Board member or staff that does not take place at a public meeting of the Board. (e-5) In reviewing an application for the purpose of granting an organization license consistent with the best interests of the public and the sport of horse racing, the Board shall consider: (1) the character, reputation, experience, and financial integrity of the applicant and of any other separate person that either: (i) controls the applicant, directly or indirectly, or (ii) is controlled, directly or indirectly, by that applicant or by a person who controls, directly or indirectly, that applicant; (2) the applicant's facilities or proposed facilities for conducting horse racing; (3) the total revenue without regard to Section 32.1 to be derived by the State and horsemen from the applicant's conducting a race meeting; (4) the applicant's good faith affirmative action plan to recruit, train, and upgrade minorities in all employment classifications; (5) the applicant's financial ability to purchase and maintain adequate liability and casualty insurance; (6) the applicant's proposed and prior year's promotional and marketing activities and expenditures of the applicant associated with those activities; (7) an agreement, if any, among organization licensees as provided in subsection (b) of Section 21 of this Act; and (8) the extent to which the applicant exceeds or meets other standards for the issuance of an organization license that the Board shall adopt by rule. In granting organization licenses and allocating dates for horse race meetings, the Board shall have discretion to determine an overall schedule, including required simulcasts of Illinois races by host tracks that will, in its judgment, be conducive to the best interests of the public and the sport of horse racing. (e-10) The Illinois Administrative Procedure Act shall apply to administrative procedures of the Board under this Act for the granting of an organization license, except that (1) notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (b) of Section 10-40 of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act regarding cross-examination, the Board may prescribe rules limiting the right of an applicant or participant in any proceeding to award an organization license to conduct cross-examination of witnesses at that proceeding where that cross-examination would unduly obstruct the timely award of an organization license under subsection (e) of Section 20 of this Act; (2) the provisions of Section 10-45 of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act regarding proposals for decision are excluded under this Act; (3) notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of Section 10-60 of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act regarding ex parte communications, the Board may prescribe rules allowing ex parte communications with applicants or participants in a proceeding to award an organization license where conducting those communications would be in the best interest of racing, provided all those communications are made part of the record of that proceeding pursuant to subsection (c) of Section 10-60 of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act; (4) the provisions of Section 14a of this Act and the rules of the Board promulgated under that Section shall apply instead of the provisions of Article 10 of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act regarding administrative law judges; and (5) the provisions of subsection (d) of Section 10-65 of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act that prevent summary suspension of a license pending revocation or other action shall not apply. (f) The Board may allot racing dates to an organization licensee for more than one calendar year but for no more than 3 successive calendar years in advance, provided that the Board shall review such allotment for more than one calendar year prior to each year for which such allotment has been made. The granting of an organization license to a person constitutes a privilege to conduct a horse race meeting under the provisions of this Act, and no person granted an organization license shall be deemed to have a vested interest, property right, or future expectation to receive an organization license in any subsequent year as a result of the granting of an organization license. Organization licenses shall be subject to revocation if the organization licensee has violated any provision of this Act or the rules and regulations promulgated under this Act or has been convicted of a crime or has failed to disclose or has stated falsely any information called for in the application for an organization license. Any organization license revocation proceeding shall be in accordance with Section 16 regarding suspension and revocation of occupation licenses. (f-5) If, (i) an applicant does not file an acceptance of the racing dates awarded by the Board as required under part (1) of subsection (h) of this Section 20, or (ii) an organization licensee has its license suspended or revoked under this Act, the Board, upon conducting an emergency hearing as provided for in this Act, may reaward on an emergency basis pursuant to rules established by the Board, racing dates not accepted or the racing dates associated with any suspension or revocation period to one or more organization licensees, new applicants, or any combination thereof, upon terms and conditions that the Board determines are in the best interest of racing, provided, the organization licensees or new applicants receiving the awarded racing dates file an acceptance of those reawarded racing dates as required under paragraph (1) of subsection (h) of this Section 20 and comply with the other provisions of this Act. The Illinois Administrative Procedure Act shall not apply to the administrative procedures of the Board in conducting the emergency hearing and the reallocation of racing dates on an emergency basis. (g) (Blank). (h) The Board shall send the applicant a copy of its formally executed order by certified mail addressed to the applicant at the address stated in his application, which notice shall be mailed within 5 days of the date the formal order is executed. Each applicant notified shall, within 10 days after receipt of the final executed order of the Board awarding racing dates: (1) file with the Board an acceptance of such award in the form prescribed by the Board; (2) pay to the Board an additional amount equal to $110 for each racing date awarded; and (3) file with the Board the bonds required in Sections 21 and 25 at least 20 days prior to the first day of each race meeting. Upon compliance with the provisions of paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) of this subsection (h), the applicant shall be issued an organization license. If any applicant fails to comply with this Section or fails to pay the organization license fees herein provided, no organization license shall be issued to such applicant.

Legislative History

(Source: P.A. 101-31, eff. 6-28-19.)