Section 3772.03. Authority of commission; adoption of rules

(A) To ensure the integrity of casino gaming, the commission shall have authority to complete the functions of licensing, regulating, investigating, and penalizing casino operators, management companies, holding companies, key employees, casino gaming employees, and gaming-related vendors. The commission also shall have jurisdiction over all persons participating in casino gaming authorized by Section 6(C) of Article XV, Ohio Constitution, and this chapter.

(B) All rules adopted by the commission under this chapter shall be adopted under procedures established in Chapter 119. of the Revised Code. The commission may contract for the services of experts and consultants to assist the commission in carrying out its duties under this section.

(C) The commission shall adopt rules as are necessary for completing the functions stated in division (A) of this section and for addressing the subjects enumerated in division (D) of this section.

(D) The commission shall adopt, and as advisable and necessary shall amend or repeal, rules that include all of the following:

(1) The prevention of practices detrimental to the public interest;

(2) Prescribing the method of applying, and the form of application, that an applicant for a license under this chapter must follow as otherwise described in this chapter;

(3) Prescribing the information to be furnished by an applicant or licensee as described in section 3772.11 of the Revised Code;

(4) Describing the certification standards and duties of an independent testing laboratory certified under section 3772.31 of the Revised Code and the relationship between the commission, the laboratory, the gaming-related vendor, and the casino operator;

(5) The minimum amount of insurance that must be maintained by a casino operator, management company, holding company, or gaming-related vendor;

(6) The approval process for a significant change in ownership or transfer of control of a licensee as provided in section 3772.091 of the Revised Code;

(7) The design of gaming supplies, devices, and equipment to be distributed by gaming-related vendors;

(8) Identifying the casino gaming that is permitted, identifying the gaming supplies, devices, and equipment, that are permitted, defining the area in which the permitted casino gaming may be conducted, and specifying the method of operation according to which the permitted casino gaming is to be conducted as provided in section 3772.20 of the Revised Code, and requiring gaming devices and equipment to meet the standards of this state;

(9) Tournament play in any casino facility;

(10) Establishing and implementing a voluntary exclusion program that provides all of the following:

(a) Except as provided by commission rule, a person who participates in the program shall agree to refrain from entering a casino facility.

(b) The name of a person participating in the program shall be included on a list of persons excluded from all casino facilities.

(c) Except as provided by commission rule, no person who participates in the program shall petition the commission for admittance into a casino facility.

(d) The list of persons participating in the program and the personal information of those persons shall be confidential and shall only be disseminated by the commission to a casino operator and the agents and employees of the casino operator for purposes of enforcement and to other entities, upon request of the participant and agreement by the commission.

(e) A casino operator shall make all reasonable attempts as determined by the commission to cease all direct marketing efforts to a person participating in the program.

(f) A casino operator shall not cash the check of a person participating in the program or extend credit to the person in any manner. However, the program shall not exclude a casino operator from seeking the payment of a debt accrued by a person before participating in the program.

(g) Any and all locations at which a person may register as a participant in the program shall be published.

(11) Requiring the commission to adopt standards regarding the marketing materials of a licensed casino operator, including allowing the commission to prohibit marketing materials that are contrary to the adopted standards;

(12) Requiring that the records, including financial statements, of any casino operator, management company, holding company, and gaming-related vendor be maintained in the manner prescribed by the commission and made available for inspection upon demand by the commission, but shall be subject to section 3772.16 of the Revised Code;

(13) Permitting a licensed casino operator, management company, key employee, or casino gaming employee to question a person suspected of violating this chapter;

(14) The chips, tokens, tickets, electronic cards, or similar objects that may be purchased by means of an agreement under which credit is extended to a wagerer by a casino operator;

(15) Establishing standards for provisional key employee licenses for a person who is required to be licensed as a key employee and is in exigent circumstances and standards for provisional licenses for casino gaming employees who submit complete applications and are compliant under an instant background check. A provisional license shall be valid not longer than three months. A provisional license may be renewed one time, at the commission's discretion, for an additional three months. In establishing standards with regard to instant background checks the commission shall take notice of criminal records checks as they are conducted under section 311.41 of the Revised Code using electronic fingerprint reading devices.

(16) Establishing approval procedures for third-party engineering or accounting firms, as described in section 3772.09 of the Revised Code;

(17) Prescribing the manner in which winnings, compensation from casino gaming, and gross revenue must be computed and reported by a licensee as described in Chapter 5753. of the Revised Code;

(18) Prescribing conditions under which a licensee's license may be suspended or revoked as described in section 3772.04 of the Revised Code;

(19) Prescribing the manner and procedure of all hearings to be conducted by the commission or by any hearing examiner;

(20) Prescribing technical standards and requirements that are to be met by security and surveillance equipment that is used at and standards and requirements to be met by personnel who are employed at casino facilities, and standards and requirements for the provision of security at and surveillance of casino facilities;

(21) Prescribing requirements for a casino operator to provide unarmed security services at a casino facility by licensed casino employees, and the training that shall be completed by these employees;

(22) Prescribing standards according to which casino operators shall keep accounts and standards according to which casino accounts shall be audited, and establish means of assisting the tax commissioner in levying and collecting the gross casino revenue tax levied under section 5753.02 of the Revised Code;

(23) Defining penalties for violation of commission rules and a process for imposing such penalties subject to the review of the joint committee on gaming and wagering;

(24) Establishing standards for decertifying contractors that violate statutes or rules of this state or the federal government;

(25) Establishing standards for the repair of casino gaming equipment;

(26) Establishing procedures to ensure that casino operators, management companies, and holding companies are compliant with the compulsive and problem gambling plan submitted under section 3772.18 of the Revised Code;

(27) Prescribing, for institutional investors in or holding companies of a casino operator, management company, holding company, or gaming-related vendor that fall below the threshold needed to be considered an institutional investor or a holding company, standards regarding what any employees, members, or owners of those investors or holding companies may do and shall not do in relation to casino facilities and casino gaming in this state, which standards shall rationally relate to the need to proscribe conduct that is inconsistent with passive institutional investment status;

(28) Providing for any other thing necessary and proper for successful and efficient regulation of casino gaming under this chapter.

(E) The commission shall employ and assign gaming agents as necessary to assist the commission in carrying out the duties of this chapter and Chapter 2915. of the Revised Code. In order to maintain employment as a gaming agent, the gaming agent shall successfully complete all continuing training programs required by the commission and shall not have been convicted of or pleaded guilty or no contest to a disqualifying offense as defined in section 3772.07 of the Revised Code.

(F) The commission, as a law enforcement agency, and its gaming agents, as law enforcement officers as defined in section 2901.01 of the Revised Code, shall have authority with regard to the detection and investigation of, the seizure of evidence allegedly relating to, and the apprehension and arrest of persons allegedly committing violations of this chapter or gambling offenses as defined in section 2915.01 of the Revised Code or violations of any other law of this state that may affect the integrity of casino gaming or the operation of skill-based amusement machines, and shall have access to casino facilities and skill-based amusement machine facilities to carry out the requirements of this chapter.

(G) The commission may eject or exclude or authorize the ejection or exclusion of and a gaming agent may eject a person from a casino facility for any of the following reasons:

(1) The person's name is on the list of persons voluntarily excluding themselves from all casinos in a program established according to rules adopted by the commission;

(2) The person violates or conspires to violate this chapter or a rule adopted thereunder; or

(3) The commission determines that the person's conduct or reputation is such that the person's presence within a casino facility may call into question the honesty and integrity of the casino gaming operations or interfere with the orderly conduct of the casino gaming operations.

(H) A person, other than a person participating in a voluntary exclusion program, may petition the commission for a public hearing on the person's ejection or exclusion under this chapter.

(I) A casino operator or management company shall have the same authority to eject or exclude a person from the management company's casino facilities as authorized in division (G) of this section. The licensee shall immediately notify the commission of an ejection or exclusion.

(J) The commission shall submit a written annual report with the governor, president and minority leader of the senate, speaker and minority leader of the house of representatives, and joint committee on gaming and wagering before the first day of September each year. The annual report shall cover the previous fiscal year and shall include all of the following:

(1) A statement describing the receipts and disbursements of the commission;

(2) Relevant financial data regarding casino gaming, including gross revenues and disbursements made under this chapter;

(3) Actions taken by the commission;

(4) An update on casino operators', management companies', and holding companies' compulsive and problem gambling plans and the voluntary exclusion program and list;

(5) Information regarding prosecutions for conduct described in division (H) of section 3772.99 of the Revised Code, including, but not limited to, the total number of prosecutions commenced and the name of each person prosecuted;

(6) Any additional information that the commission considers useful or that the governor, president or minority leader of the senate, speaker or minority leader of the house of representatives, or joint committee on gaming and wagering requests.

(K) To ensure the integrity of skill-based amusement machine operations, the commission shall have jurisdiction over all persons conducting or participating in the conduct of skill-based amusement machine operations authorized by this chapter and Chapter 2915. of the Revised Code, including the authority to complete the functions of licensing, regulating, investigating, and penalizing those persons in a manner that is consistent with the commission's authority to do the same with respect to casino gaming. To carry out this division, the commission may adopt rules under Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, including rules establishing fees and penalties related to the operation of skill-based amusement machines.

Amended by 131st General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 64, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2015.

Amended by 130th General Assembly File No. TBD, SB 141, §1, eff. 3/23/2015.

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

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