(a) Unless an individual holds a valid video lottery employee license or temporary video lottery employee license issued by the Commission, the individual may not be employed by a video lottery operation licensee as a video lottery employee.
(b) Before issuance of a video lottery employee license, an applicant shall provide sufficient information, documentation, and assurances that the Commission may require.
(c) (1) The Commission shall deny a video lottery employee license to an applicant who is disqualified due to:
(i) the applicant’s failure to prove the applicant’s good character, honesty, and integrity;
(ii) the applicant’s lack of expertise or training to be a video lottery employee;
(iii) except as provided in paragraphs (2) and (3) of this subsection, the applicant’s conviction, active parole, or probation for any crime involving moral turpitude or gambling under the laws of the United States or any state within the prior 7 years;
(iv) except as provided in paragraphs (2) and (3) of this subsection, the applicant’s current prosecution for any crime involving moral turpitude or gambling under the laws of the United States or any state, but, at the request of the applicant, the Commission may defer a decision on the application during the pendency of the charge;
(v) pursuit by the applicant of economic gain in an occupational manner or context that is in violation of the laws of the State, if the pursuit creates a reasonable belief that participation of the applicant in video lottery operations would be inimical to the policies of this subtitle;
(vi) identification of the applicant as a career offender or a member of a career offender cartel or an associate of a career offender or career offender cartel in a manner that creates a reasonable belief that the association is of a nature as to be inimical to the policies of this subtitle;
(vii) willful defiance by the applicant or a person that is required to be qualified under this subtitle as a condition of a license of a legislative investigatory body or other official investigatory body of the United States or a jurisdiction within the United States when the body is engaged in the investigation of crimes relating to gambling, official corruption, or organized crime activity; and
(viii) any other reason established in the regulations of the Commission as a reason for denying a license.
(2) (i) In this paragraph, “problem–solving court” means a problem–solving court under the Office of Problem–Solving Courts, or a comparable program from another state court system, that provides a collaborative, therapeutic, nonadversarial approach to judicial supervision of eligible offenders, including a drug court, DUI court, veterans’ court, mental health court, or reentry court.
(ii) An applicant is not disqualified from licensure under paragraph (1)(iii) or (iv) of this subsection if the conviction, active parole, probation, or prosecution involves a nonviolent misdemeanor offense, other than a crime involving gambling, for which the applicant participated in and completed a problem–solving court program.
(3) An applicant is not disqualified from licensure under paragraph (1)(iii) or (iv) of this subsection if:
(i) the conviction, active parole, probation, or prosecution involves a nonviolent misdemeanor offense, other than a crime involving gambling;
(ii) the applicant will not be employed by the video lottery operation licensee in the operation of gaming or security; and
(iii) the video lottery operation licensee requests that the Commission issue the license notwithstanding the conviction, active parole, probation, or prosecution.
(d) (1) The Commission may issue a temporary video lottery employee license that authorizes an applicant to be employed as a video lottery employee.
(2) The Commission:
(i) may issue a temporary license to an applicant who:
1. files a completed application for a video lottery employee license; and
2. acknowledges, in writing, that the State is not financially responsible for any consequences resulting from termination of the temporary license under paragraph (4) of this subsection; and
(ii) may not issue a temporary license to an applicant who:
1. has an immediately known present or prior activity, criminal record, reputation, habit, or association that would disqualify the applicant from holding a video lottery employee license under this subtitle; or
2. poses a serious imminent risk of harm to the integrity, security, or profitability of the State’s gaming program.
(3) (i) A temporary license issued under this subsection expires 180 days after the date of issue.
(ii) The Commission may extend a temporary license for an additional 180 days.
(4) Notwithstanding § 9–1A–04(a)(3) of this subtitle, the Commission may terminate without a hearing the temporary license of an applicant for:
(i) failure to pay a required fee;
(ii) failure to submit required information to the Commission;
(iii) failure to comply with the Commission’s staff requests;
(iv) engaging in conduct that obstructs the Commission from completing the applicant’s background investigation; or
(v) any other reason established in the regulations of the Commission.
(5) If the Commission denies the application for a video lottery employee license of an applicant who has been issued a temporary license, the applicant immediately shall surrender the applicant’s temporary license identification to the Commission and cease working as a video lottery employee.