Section 3772.01. Definitions

As used in this chapter:

(A) "Applicant" means any person who applies to the commission for a license under this chapter.

(B) "Casino control commission fund" means the casino control commission fund described in Section 6(C)(3)(d) of Article XV, Ohio Constitution, the money in which shall be used to fund the commission and its related affairs.

(C) "Casino facility" means a casino facility as defined in Section 6(C)(9) of Article XV, Ohio Constitution.

(D) "Casino game" means any slot machine or table game as defined in this chapter.

(E) "Casino gaming" means any type of slot machine or table game wagering, using money, casino credit, or any representative of value, authorized in any of the states of Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia as of January 1, 2009, and includes slot machine and table game wagering subsequently authorized by, but shall not be limited by, subsequent restrictions placed on such wagering in such states. "Casino gaming" does not include bingo, as authorized in Section 6 of Article XV, Ohio Constitution and conducted as of January 1, 2009, or horse racing where the pari-mutuel system of wagering is conducted, as authorized under the laws of this state as of January 1, 2009.

(F) "Casino gaming employee" means any employee of a casino operator or management company, but not a key employee, and as further defined in section 3772.131 of the Revised Code.

(G) "Casino operator" means any person, trust, corporation, partnership, limited partnership, association, limited liability company, or other business enterprise that directly or indirectly holds an ownership or leasehold interest in a casino facility. "Casino operator" does not include an agency of the state, any political subdivision of the state, any person, trust, corporation, partnership, limited partnership, association, limited liability company, or other business enterprise that may have an interest in a casino facility, but who is legally or contractually restricted from conducting casino gaming.

(H) "Central system" means a computer system that provides the following functions related to casino gaming equipment used in connection with casino gaming authorized under this chapter: security, auditing, data and information retrieval, and other purposes deemed necessary and authorized by the commission.

(I) "Cheat" means to alter the result of a casino game, the element of chance, the operation of a machine used in a casino game, or the method of selection of criteria that determines (a) the result of the casino game, (b) the amount or frequency of payment in a casino game, (c) the value of a wagering instrument, or (d) the value of a wagering credit. "Cheat" does not include an individual who, without the assistance of another individual or without the use of a physical aid or device of any kind, uses the individual's own ability to keep track of the value of cards played and uses predictions formed as a result of the tracking information in the individual's playing and betting strategy.

(J) "Commission" means the Ohio casino control commission.

(K) "Gaming agent" means a peace officer employed by the commission that is vested with duties to enforce this chapter and conduct other investigations into the conduct of the casino gaming and the maintenance of the equipment that the commission considers necessary and proper and is in compliance with section 109.77 of the Revised Code.

(L) "Gaming-related vendor" means any individual, partnership, corporation, association, trust, or any other group of individuals, however organized, who supplies gaming-related equipment, goods, or services to a casino operator or management company, that are directly related to or affect casino gaming authorized under this chapter, including, but not limited to, the manufacture, sale, distribution, or repair of slot machines and table game equipment.

(M) "Holding company" means any corporation, firm, partnership, limited partnership, limited liability company, trust, or other form of business organization not a natural person which directly or indirectly does any of the following:

(1) Has the power or right to control a casino operator, management company, or gaming-related vendor license applicant or licensee;

(2) Holds an ownership interest of five per cent or more, as determined by the commission, in a casino operator, management company, or gaming-related vendor license applicant or licensee;

(3) Holds voting rights with the power to vote five per cent or more of the outstanding voting rights of a casino operator, management company, or gaming-related vendor applicant or licensee.

(N) "Initial investment" includes costs related to demolition, engineering, architecture, design, site preparation, construction, infrastructure improvements, land acquisition, fixtures and equipment, insurance related to construction, and leasehold improvements.

(O) "Institutional investor" means any of the following entities owning five per cent or more, but less than fifteen per cent, of an ownership interest in a casino facility, casino operator, management company, or holding company: a corporation, bank, insurance company, pension fund or pension fund trust, retirement fund, including funds administered by a public agency, employees' profit-sharing fund or employees' profit-sharing trust, any association engaged, as a substantial part of its business or operations, in purchasing or holding securities, including a hedge fund, mutual fund, or private equity fund, or any trust in respect of which a bank is trustee or cotrustee, investment company registered under the "Investment Company Act of 1940," 15 U.S.C. 80a-1 et seq., collective investment trust organized by banks under Part Nine of the Rules of the Comptroller of the Currency, closed-end investment trust, chartered or licensed life insurance company or property and casualty insurance company, investment advisor registered under the "Investment Advisors Act of 1940," 15 U.S.C. 80 b-1 et seq., and such other persons as the commission may reasonably determine to qualify as an institutional investor for reasons consistent with this chapter, and that does not exercise control over the affairs of a licensee and its ownership interest in a licensee is for investment purposes only, as set forth in division (E) of section 3772.10 of the Revised Code.

(P) "Key employee" means any executive, employee, or agent of a casino operator or management company licensee having the power to exercise significant influence over decisions concerning any part of the operation of such licensee, including:

(1) An officer, director, trustee, or partner of a person that has applied for or holds a casino operator, management company, or gaming-related vendor license or of a holding company that has control of a person that has applied for or holds a casino operator, management company, or gaming-related vendor license;

(2) A person that holds a direct or indirect ownership interest of more than one per cent in a person that has applied for or holds a casino operator, management company, or gaming-related vendor license or holding company that has control of a person that has applied for or holds a casino operator, management company, or gaming-related vendor license;

(3) A managerial employee of a person that has applied for or holds a casino operator or gaming-related vendor license in Ohio, or a managerial employee of a holding company that has control of a person that has applied for or holds a casino operator or gaming-related vendor license in Ohio, who performs the function of principal executive officer, principal operating officer, principal accounting officer, or an equivalent officer or other person the commission determines to have the power to exercise significant influence over decisions concerning any part of the operation of such licensee.

The commission shall determine whether an individual whose duties or status varies from those described in this division also is considered a key employee.

(Q) "Licensed casino operator" means a casino operator that has been issued a license by the commission and that has been certified annually by the commission to have paid all applicable fees, taxes, and debts to the state.

(R) "Majority ownership interest" in a license or in a casino facility, as the case may be, means ownership of more than fifty per cent of such license or casino facility, as the case may be. For purposes of the foregoing, whether a majority ownership interest is held in a license or in a casino facility, as the case may be, shall be determined under the rules for constructive ownership of stock provided in Treas. Reg. 1.409A-3(i)(5)(iii) as in effect on January 1, 2009.

(S) "Management company" means an organization retained by a casino operator to manage a casino facility and provide services such as accounting, general administration, maintenance, recruitment, and other operational services.

(T) "Ohio law enforcement training fund" means the state law enforcement training fund described in Section 6(C)(3)(f) of Article XV, Ohio Constitution, the money in which shall be used to enhance public safety by providing additional training opportunities to the law enforcement community.

(U) "Person" includes, but is not limited to, an individual or a combination of individuals; a sole proprietorship, a firm, a company, a joint venture, a partnership of any type, a joint-stock company, a corporation of any type, a corporate subsidiary of any type, a limited liability company, a business trust, or any other business entity or organization; an assignee; a receiver; a trustee in bankruptcy; an unincorporated association, club, society, or other unincorporated entity or organization; entities that are disregarded for federal income tax purposes; and any other nongovernmental, artificial, legal entity that is capable of engaging in business.

(V) "Problem casino gambling and addictions fund" means the state problem gambling and addictions fund described in Section 6(C)(3)(g) of Article XV, Ohio Constitution, the money in which shall be used for treatment of problem gambling and substance abuse, and for related research.

(W) "Promotional gaming credit" means a slot machine or table game credit, discount, or other similar item issued to a patron to enable the placement of, or increase in, a wager at a slot machine or table game.

(X) "Slot machine" means any mechanical, electrical, or other device or machine which, upon insertion of a coin, token, ticket, or similar object, or upon payment of any consideration, is available to play or operate, the play or operation of which, whether by reason of the skill of the operator or application of the element of chance, or both, makes individual prize determinations for individual participants in cash, premiums, merchandise, tokens, or any thing of value, whether the payoff is made automatically from the machine or in any other manner, but does not include any device that is a skill-based amusement machine, as defined in section 2915.01 of the Revised Code.

(Y) "Table game" means any game played with cards, dice, or any mechanical, electromechanical, or electronic device or machine for money, casino credit, or any representative of value. "Table game" does not include slot machines.

(Z) "Upfront license" means the first plenary license issued to a casino operator.

(AA) "Voluntary exclusion program" means a program provided by the commission that allows persons to voluntarily exclude themselves from the gaming areas of facilities under the jurisdiction of the commission by placing their name on a voluntary exclusion list and following the procedures set forth by the commission.

Amended by 129th General AssemblyFile No.126, HB 386, §1, eff. 6/11/2012.

Amended by 129th General AssemblyFile No.44, HB 277, §1, eff. 10/17/2011.

Added by 128th General AssemblyFile No.38, HB 519, §1, eff. 9/10/2010.