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Department of Public Safety with authority over all slot machine | | licensing and distribution and registration. It is the intent of | | the Legislature that all slot machine operators and slot machine | | distributors be licensed by the Gambling Control Board pursuant to | | the Maine Revised Statutes, Title 8, chapter 31. The Legislature | | intends that the amendment effected by this Act be effective on or | | prior to the effective date of the initiated bill. It is further | | the intent of the Legislature that this bill extinguish any right, | | title or interest, whether vested or inchoate, in any license, | | registration, permit, privilege or entitlement that may have arisen | | under Initiated Bill 2003, chapter 1. |
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| | | Sec. B-9. Retroactivity. The Act applies retroactively to January 3, | | 2004. |
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| | | Emergency clause. In view of the emergency cited in the preamble, | | this Act takes effect when approved. |
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| | | This bill effectively amends Initiated Bill 2003, chapter 1 as | | approved by the voters at referendum in November 2003, which | | allows the operation of slot machines by certain persons who are | | licensed to operate commercial harness horse racing tracks. |
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| | | Part A of the bill establishes the Gambling Control Board | | within the Department of Public Safety to regulate the operation, | | distribution and maintenance of slot machines and the facilities | | at which those slot machines are located. The Gambling Control | | Board consists of 5 members who serve staggered 3-year terms and | | who are appointed by the Governor. The bill maintains the | | eligibility criteria for slot machine operators, but establishes | | licensing criteria applicable to all potential slot machine | | operators, thereby eliminating the initiated bill's automatic | | licensing provisions. The bill reverses the liberalization of | | harness horse track transfer regulations contained in the | | initiated bill. The bill creates a framework through which the | | Gambling Control Board will regulate and monitor slot machine | | operators, distributors and gambling-related vendors and service | | providers. |
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| | | Part A maintains the distribution of the gross income from | | slot machines, which is income after payback to players, as | | proposed in the initiated bill. However, the bill also allows | | the Commissioner of Administration and Financial Services to | | establish a "compensation percentage." The compensation | | percentage is defined as a percentage of the gross income | | necessary to compensate the State for all administrative, |
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