Sec. 7. 8 MRSA §272, as amended by PL 1969, c. 526, §2, is further amended to read:

§272. Bonds

Every person, association or corporation licensed under this chapter shall, before said license is issued, give bond or irrevocable letter of credit to the State in such reasonable sum, not exceeding $100,000, as may be fixed by the commission, with a surety or sureties to be approved by the commission, conditioned to faithfully make the payments prescribed by this chapter and to keep its books and records and make reports as provided, and to conduct its racing in conformity with this chapter and the rules and regulations prescribed by the commission.

Sec. 8. 8 MRSA §272-A, as amended by PL 1999, c. 482, §1, is repealed.

Sec. 9. 8 MRSA §272-B is enacted to read:

§272-B.__Association funding

The licensee, as described in section 271, may pay up to 1 1/2% of all amounts generated for the purpose of supplementing purses, as described in section 286, to an association of horsemen.

Sec. 10. 8 MRSA §275-A, sub-§1, ¶¶A and B, as repealed and replaced by PL 1999, c. 482, §2 and affected by §10, are amended to read:

A. If the population of the region is 300,000 or more, based on the 1990 U.S. Census, conducted racing on more than 100 days in each of the previous 2 calendar years, except that if a racetrack that qualifies as a commercial track under this paragraph ceases operation, a separate racetrack operated by the owner or operator of the racetrack that ceased operation qualifies as a commercial track, and for all purposes is considered the same commercial track as the track that ceased operation, if the population of the region of that separate racetrack is 300,000 or more, based on the 1990 U.S. Census, and the sum of the number of days on which racing was conducted at the track that ceased operation and the number of days on which racing was conducted at the separate racetrack equals at least 100 days in each of the 2 preceding calendar years; or