PRINTER'S NO. 1152
No. 987 Session of 1977
INTRODUCED BY ENGLEHART, BELLOMINI, GALLAGHER, MANMILLER,
GOODMAN, BURNS AND B. F. O'BRIEN, APRIL 26, 1977
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON STATE GOVERNMENT, APRIL 26, 1977
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of December 11, 1967 (P.L.707, No.331),
2 entitled "An act providing for and regulating thoroughbred
3 horse racing with pari-mutuel wagering on the results
4 thereof, creating the State Horse Racing Commission as an
5 independent administrative commission and defining its powers
6 and duties; providing for the establishment and operation of
7 thoroughbred horse racing plants; imposing taxes on revenues
8 of such plants; disposing of all moneys received by the
9 commission and all moneys collected from the taxes;
10 authorizing penalties; and making appropriations," further
11 providing for the disposition of pari-mutuel pools.
12 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
13 hereby enacts as follows:
14 Section 1. Section 17, act of December 11, 1967 (P.L.707,
15 No.331), referred to as the Pennsylvania Thoroughbred Horse
16 Racing Law, amended December 30, 1974 (P.L.1115, No.358), is
17 amended to read:
18 Section 17. Disposition of Pari-mutuel Pools.--Every
19 corporation authorized under this act to conduct pari-mutuel
20 betting at a thoroughbred horse race meeting on races run
21 thereat, having total deposits and the pari-mutuel board average
22 less than three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) a day for
1 the previous meet of the permit holder shall distribute all sums
2 deposited in any pari-mutuel pool to the holders of winning
3 tickets therein, provided such tickets be presented for payment
4 before April first of the year following the year of their
5 purchase, less [seventeen] nineteen percent of the total
6 deposits plus the breaks from regular wagers, exacta, daily
7 double and quinella wagering each racing day, and less twenty-
8 five percent of the total deposits plus the breaks from the
9 trifecta wagering each racing day. All other permit holders
10 authorized under this act to conduct pari-mutuel betting at a
11 thoroughbred horse race meet or race run thereat, shall
12 distribute all sums deposited in any pari-mutuel pool to the
13 holder of the winning tickets therein, providing such tickets be
14 presented for payment before April 1 of the year following the
15 year of the purchase, less seventeen percent of the total
16 deposit, plus the breaks from regular wagers, less nineteen
17 percent of the total deposits plus the breaks, from the exacta,
18 daily double and quinella wagering each racing day and less
19 twenty-five percent of the total deposit plus the breaks from
20 the trifecta wagering each day. At the close of each racing day,
21 the permit holder out of the amount retained on said day by said
22 permit holder, shall pay, through the Department of Revenue into
23 the State Treasury for credit to the State Horse Racing Fund, a
24 tax of four and three-quarters percent of the amount wagered
25 each day, which tax is hereby imposed. At the close of each
26 racing day the permit holder shall pay one-half of one percent
27 of the amount wagered through the Department of Revenue into the
28 State Treasury which shall be credited to the Pennsylvania
29 Breeding Fund by the Treasury Department, which fund is hereby
30 appropriated to the State Horse Racing Commission for
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1 distribution in accordance with the terms of this act, and as to
2 thoroughbred horse race meetings held within school districts of
3 the first class the permit holder shall pay the school district
4 in which the thoroughbred horse race meeting is held a tax of
5 two percent of the amount wagered each day, which tax is hereby
6 imposed for general school purposes. The remainder shall be
7 retained by the permit holder of which at least five percent of
8 the amount wagered each day shall be paid in purse money.
9 During the calendar years 1975 and 1976 the amount paid to
10 the Pennsylvania Breeding Fund shall not exceed one million two
11 hundred fifty thousand dollars ($1,250,000) per annum. The
12 excess moneys, if any, shall be divided in proportion to the
13 amount wagered among the permit holders in 1975 and 1976 and
14 shall be used exclusively for purses.
15 In addition, each permit holder shall be allowed to retain
16 the odd cents of all redistribution to be made on all mutuel
17 contributions exceeding a sum equal to the next lowest multiple
18 of ten, subject to a tax of fifty percent of the total sum of
19 such odd cents, which tax is hereby imposed and shall be paid by
20 the permit holder at the close of each racing day to the
21 Department of Revenue for credit to the State Horse Racing Fund.
22 Section 2. This act shall take effect in 30 days.
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