Fla. Stat. § 550.3551 — Florida Code / Title XXXIII / Chapter 550 / Section 550.3551
550.3551 Transmission of racing and jai alai information; commingling of pari-mutuel pools.
Status: in_force

(1)(a) It is unlawful for any person to transmit, by any means, racing information to any person or to relay the same to any person by word of mouth, by signal, or by use of telephone, telegraph, radio, or any other means when the information is knowingly used or intended to be used for illegal gambling purposes or in furtherance of illegal gambling. (b) Paragraph (a) shall be deemed an exercise of the police power of the state for the protection of the public welfare, health, peace, safety, and morals of the people of the state, and this section shall be liberally construed for the accomplishment of this purpose. (c) A person who violates paragraph (a) is guilty of a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.

(2) Any horse track or fronton licensed under this chapter may transmit broadcasts of races or games conducted at the enclosure of the licensee to locations outside this state. (a) All broadcasts of horseraces transmitted to locations outside this state must comply with the provisions of the Interstate Horseracing Act of 1978, 92 Stat. 1811, 15 U.S.C. ss. 3001 et seq. (b) Wagers accepted by any out-of-state pari-mutuel permitholder or licensed betting system on a race broadcasted under this subsection may be, but are not required to be, included in the pari-mutuel pools of the horse track in this state that broadcasts the race upon which wagers are accepted. The handle, as referred to in s. 550.0951(3), does not include any wagers accepted by an out-of-state pari-mutuel permitholder or licensed betting system, irrespective of whether such wagers are included in the pari-mutuel pools of the Florida permitholder as authorized by this subsection.

(3) Any horse track licensed under this chapter may receive broadcasts of horseraces conducted at other horse racetracks located outside this state at the racetrack enclosure of the licensee, if the horse track conducted a full schedule of live racing during the preceding state fiscal year, or if the horse track does not conduct live racing as authorized under s. 550.01215. (a) All broadcasts of horseraces received from locations outside this state must comply with the provisions of the Interstate Horseracing Act of 1978, 92 Stat. 1811, 15 U.S.C. ss. 3001 et seq. (b) Wagers accepted at the horse track in this state may be, but are not required to be, included in the pari-mutuel pools of the out-of-state horse track that broadcasts the race. Notwithstanding any contrary provisions of this chapter, if the horse track in this state elects to include wagers accepted on such races in the pari-mutuel pools of the out-of-state horse track that broadcasts the race, from the amount wagered by patrons at the horse track in this state and included in the pari-mutuel pools of the out-of-state horse track, the horse track in this state shall deduct as the takeout from the amount wagered by patrons at the horse track in this state and included in the pari-mutuel pools of the out-of-state horse track a percentage equal to the percentage deducted from the amount wagered at the out-of-state racetrack as is authorized by the laws of the jurisdiction exercising regulatory authority over the out-of-state horse track. (c) All forms of pari-mutuel wagering are allowed on races broadcast under this section, and all money wagered by patrons on such races shall be computed as part of the total amount of money wagered at each racing performance for purposes of taxation under ss. 550.0951, 550.09512, and 550.09515. Section 550.2625(2)(a), (b), and (c) does not apply to any money wagered on races broadcast under this section. Similarly, the takeout shall be increased by breaks and uncashed tickets for wagers on races broadcast under this section, notwithstanding any contrary provision of this chapter.

(4) Any greyhound permitholder or jai alai permitholder licensed under this chapter may receive at its licensed location broadcasts of dograces or jai alai games conducted at other tracks or frontons located outside the state. All forms of pari-mutuel wagering are allowed on dograces or jai alai games broadcast under this subsection. All money wagered by patrons on dograces broadcast under this subsection shall be computed in the amount of money wagered each performance for purposes of taxation under ss. 550.0951 and 550.09511.

(5) A pari-mutuel permitholder licensed under this chapter may not receive broadcasts of races or games from outside this state except from an out-of-state pari-mutuel permitholder who holds the same type or class of pari-mutuel permit as the pari-mutuel permitholder licensed under this chapter who intends to receive the broadcast.

(6)(a) A permitholder conducting live races or games may not conduct fewer than eight live races or games on any authorized race day except as provided in this subsection. A thoroughbred permitholder may not conduct fewer than eight live races on any race day without the written approval of the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association and the Florida Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, Inc., unless it is determined by the commission that another entity represents a majority of the thoroughbred racehorse owners and trainers in the state. If conducting live racing, a harness permitholder may conduct fewer than eight live races on any authorized race day. Any harness horse permitholder may receive full-card broadcasts of harness horse races conducted at harness racetracks outside this state at the harness track of the permitholder and accept wagers on such harness races. (b) Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, any harness horse permitholder accepting broadcasts of out-of-state harness horse races when such permitholder is not conducting live races must make the out-of-state signal available to all permitholders eligible to conduct intertrack wagering and shall pay to guest tracks located as specified in ss. 550.615(6) and 550.6305(9)(d) 50 percent of the net proceeds after taxes and fees to the out-of-state host track on harness race wagers which they accept. A harness horse permitholder shall be required to pay into its purse account 50 percent of the net income retained by the permitholder on account of wagering on the out-of-state broadcasts received pursuant to this subsection. Nine-tenths of a percent of all harness wagering proceeds on the broadcasts received pursuant to this subsection shall be paid to the Florida Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association under the provisions of s. 550.2625(4) for the purposes provided therein.

(7) A racetrack or fronton may not pay any patron for any pari-mutuel ticket purchased on any race or game transmitted pursuant to this section until the stewards, judges, or panel of judges or other similarly constituted body at the racetrack or fronton where the race or game originates has confirmed the race or game as official.

(8) The entry and participation for a purse or any other prize of any racing animal by the owner of the animal and the jockey or driver is tantamount to acceptance of such purse or prize as full and complete remuneration and payment for such entry and participation, including the broadcast of such event, except as otherwise provided in this section.

(9) To the extent that any rights, privileges, or immunities granted to pari-mutuel permitholders under this section conflict with any other law or affect any order or rule of the Florida Public Service Commission relating to the regulation of public utilities and the furnishing to others of any communication, wire service, or other similar service or equipment, the rights, privileges, or immunities granted under this section prevail over such conflicting provisions.

(10) The commission may adopt rules necessary to facilitate commingling of pari-mutuel pools, to ensure the proper calculation of payoffs in circumstances in which different commission percentages are applicable and to regulate the distribution of net proceeds between the horse track and, in this state, the horsemen’s associations.

(11) Greyhound permitholders and jai alai permitholders have the same privileges as provided in this section to horserace permitholders, as applicable, subject to rules adopted under subsection (10).

(12) All permitholders licensed under this chapter have standing to enforce the provisions of subsections (2) and (3) in the courts of this state.

(13) This section does not prohibit the commingling of national pari-mutuel pools by a totalisator company that is licensed under this chapter. Such commingling of national pools is subject to commission review and approval and must be performed in accordance with rules adopted by the commission to ensure accurate calculation and distribution of the pools.

(14) Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (3)(b) pertaining to takeout, takeouts different from those of the host track may be used when the totalisator is programmed for net pool pricing and the host track elects to use net pool pricing in the calculation of its pools. This provision shall also apply to greyhound intertrack and simulcast wagers.

History: s. 39, ch. 92-348; s. 12, ch. 95-390; s. 12, ch. 96-364; s. 27, ch. 2000-354; s. 22, ch. 2021-271; s. 36, ch. 2022-7; s. 10, ch. 2024-115.