BILL ANALYSIS AB 2215 Page 1 Date of Hearing: April 21, 2010 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION Joe Coto, Chair AB 2215 (Fuentes) - As Introduced: February 18, 2010 SUBJECT : Horse racing: advance deposit wagering: wagering account facilities. SUMMARY : The intent of this bill is to allow a satellite facility, including mini-satellites established under existing law, to use a modified version of the current Advance Deposit Wagering (ADW) infrastructure for processing wagers on horse racing. Specifically, this bill : 1)Authorizes the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) to adopt rules and regulations authorizing ADW providers to create and administer wagering accounts at facilities located within this state through which persons may deposit cash funds or vouchers, issue wagering instructions, and withdraw cash funds or vouchers, subject to the approval of racing associations or satellite wagering facilities located within 10 miles of a facility administering those accounts, and the approval of the horsemen's organization responsible for negotiating with the racing associations or satellite wagering facilities. EXISTING LAW : 1)Provides for the California Horse Racing Board (CHRB) to regulate the various forms of horse racing authorized in this state. 2)Authorizes and defines "Advance Deposit Wagering (ADW)" as a form of pari-mutuel wagering in which a person "establishes an account with a board-approved betting system or wagering hub where the account owner provides "wagering instructions" authorizing the entity holding the account to place wagers on the owner's behalf." 3)Provides that a racing association, a fair, or a satellite wagering facility may enter into an agreement with an ADW provider to accept and facilitate the placement of any wager from a patron at its facility that a California resident could make through that ADW provider, as defined. AB 2215 Page 2 4)Authorizes CHRB to permit licensed racing associations and fairs to operate satellite-wagering facilities on their grounds, as specified. 5)Provides that CHRB may approve an additional 15 mini-satellite wagering sites in the northern, central, and southern racing zones, as defined. FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown COMMENTS : Background : Advance Deposit Wagering : The California horse racing industry entered into a new era in 2002 with the advent of ADW [AB 471 (Hertzberg), Chapter 198, Statutes of 2001], which allows customers to deposit funds into an account in order to wager online and over the telephone. These wagers are commingled into pools at the host track where the races are run, and within the pari-mutuel wagering system regulated by CHRB. ADW was authorized at a time when California racetracks were beginning to experience declining attendance and handle figures. The industry believed that making the product easier to access not only would expose and market horse racing to potential customers, but also would make it more convenient for the existing patrons to wager more often. In general, industry stakeholders agree that ADW has become an important element to the financial stability of California's horse racing industry. Currently, the CHRB has approved three companies (Youbet.com, TVG, and XpressBet) to provide ADW services to California customers. ADW constitutes about $600 million in handle for the horse racing business. It has become an important segment of the industry - in fact, it is the only segment that has been growing. Wagering at a satellite or mini-satellite : California has allowed off-track betting in satellite wagering facilities located at fairs and racing associations throughout the state for 25 years. In 2007, AB 241 (Price) was enacted to authorize the creation of 15 additional "mini-satellites" in each racing zone for a total of 45. The stated intent of this legislation AB 2215 Page 3 was to make the sport of horse racing more accessible to potential California bettors and to increase the handle - the amount wagered on horse races. Currently, there are 34 satellite wagering facilities in California located at live racetracks, fairgrounds and Indian casinos. Furthermore, 64 additional wagering facilities are authorized pursuant to SB 241 of 2007 - 44 mini-satellite facilities (one has been established already) and all fairs that currently are not operating satellite wagering facilities may do so either on or off the fairgrounds (within the boundaries of the fair district). Currently, no mini-satellite wagering facility can be established within a 20 mile radius of an existing satellite wagering facility or racetrack without the consent of the existing wagering facility. The Commerce Club mini-satellite, which opened last July, has averaged $80,000 in handle a day, taking bets on both the afternoon and evening races. Overall though, California's simulcasting network has seen a steady decline in the last decade since the approval of ADW. That drop-off has been accelerated with the recession. Purpose of the bill : According to the author, ADW has operated in California since 2002, and it has been proving to be an efficient and accountable system employing current technologies to process wagers on horse racing in California. Unfortunately though, former customers of California's simulcast network prefer to stay home to do their daily wagering. California's racing industry thought that AB 241 (Price), Chapter 594, Statutes of 2007 would help reverse the customer shift but to date various obstacles, mostly financial have proved otherwise. One of the challenges the industry faces relating to the implementation of mini-satellites (sports bars, restaurants, and card clubs) is the ability to process wagers in an economically efficient manner because these facilities generally produce lower wagering figures than established "brick and mortar" facilities. Mini-satellite facilities though must bear the same fixed costs associated with the traditional simulcast model. In essence, the cost to facilitate a wager is the same no mater where the wager takes place. Due to this inequality, California's mini-satellite system has been slow to develop. AB 2215 Page 4 This measure will make the operation of mini-satellites more viable from a financial perspective while allowing California's racing industry to market their product to new and existing patrons. AB 2215 will assist to make satellite wagering more attractive to the customer while reducing the migration of daily wagering from brick and mortar locations to Internet wagering. Policy consideration : The author might want to consider amending this bill to clarify its stated intent. This bill as written could be construed to include facilities or outlets in addition to those which are authorized under current law, as detailed in the analysis. The measure should be amended to specify that the CHRB should only adopted rules and regulations for satellite facilities or mini-satellites which have been authorized by existing statute. Prior Legislation : AB 765 (Evans), Chapter 613, Statutes of 2007. Reauthorized horse racing's ADW law, which was set to "sunset" on January 1, 2008, as specified. AB 241 (Price), Chapter 594, Statutes of 2007. Authorized all fairs to operate a satellite wagering facility off of the fair grounds. Authorized the establishment of up to 45 mini-satellite wagering sites to be operated by private industry throughout California. AB 1286 (Richardson), Chapter 202, Statutes of 2007. Authorized the Alameda County Fair and the Los Angeles County Fair to operate 2 additional satellite-wagering facilities off the fairgrounds, with certain approval and conditions, as specified. AB 401 (J. Horton), Chapter 556, Statutes of 2003. Permits the California Exposition and State Fair, with the approval of CDFA and CHRB, to operate a satellite wagering facility within the boundaries of the fair in addition to any facility otherwise authorized under current law. REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION : Support Thoroughbred Owners of California Opposition AB 2215 Page 5 None on file Analysis Prepared by : Eric Johnson / G. O. / (916) 319-2531