An Act To Permit the Sharing of Revenue from the Sale of Alcoholic Beverages at Sporting Events
Maine Legislature, Session 126, LD 1713
Committee: Veterans and Legal Affairs
Sponsors: ALFOND, GRAHAM, HASKELL, TUTTLE, CHIPMAN, FARNSWORTH, GOODE, LUCHINI, MOONEN, MORIARTY, WILSON
Amends: 28-A MRSA §605, 28-A MRSA §608

Legislative Document 
No. 1713 
S.P. 679 
In Senate, January 8, 2014 
An Act To Permit the Sharing of Revenue from the Sale of Alcoholic 
Beverages at Sporting Events 
Approved for introduction by a majority of the Legislative Council pursuant to Joint Rule 
203. 
Reference to the Committee on Veterans and Legal Affairs suggested and ordered printed. 
DAREK M. GRANT 
Secretary of the Senate 
Presented by President ALFOND of Cumberland. 
Cosponsored by Representative GRAHAM of North Yarmouth and 
Senators: HASKELL of Cumberland, TUTTLE of York, Representatives: CHIPMAN of 
Portland, FARNSWORTH of Portland, GOODE of Bangor, LUCHINI of Ellsworth, 
MOONEN of Portland, MORIARTY of Cumberland, WILSON of Augusta. 
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows: 
Sec. 1.  28-A MRSA §605, first ¶, as amended by PL 2013, c. 345, §2, is further 
amended to read: 
Except as otherwise provided in this section and section 608, no a license or any 
interest in a license may not be sold, transferred, assigned or otherwise subject to control 
by any person other than the licensee.  If the business, or any interest in the business, in 
connection with which a licensed activity is conducted is sold, transferred or assigned, the 
license holder shall immediately send to the bureau the license and a sworn statement 
showing the name and address of the purchaser.  The bureau is not required to refund any 
portion of the licensee fee if the license is surrendered before it expires.  For the purposes 
of this section, a tenant brewer who is licensed in accordance with section 1355-A, 
subsection 6 is not considered to be subject to the control of the host brewer, as described 
in that subsection, or considered to have been transferred or assigned the license or 
interest in the license of the host brewer. 
Sec. 2.  28-A MRSA §608 is enacted to read: 
§608.  Civic auditoriums with professional sporting events; revenues from the sale of 
liquor 
A civic auditorium licensed to sell liquor for on-premises consumption may enter into 
an agreement to share revenue from the sale of liquor with a professional sports team not 
licensed under this Title if the following conditions are met. 
1.  Capacity.  The civic auditorium has a capacity to seat at least 3,000 people. 
2.  Civic auditorium is designated host facility.  The civic auditorium is the 
designated host facility for the professional sports team.  For the purposes of this 
subsection, "designated host facility" means a civic auditorium where a professional 
sports team conducts at least 75% of its sporting events as the home team in the 
competition. 
3.  Minimum number of sporting events.  The professional sports team schedules 
and conducts regular sporting events on no fewer than 15 calendar days at the civic 
auditorium during a 12-month period. 
4.  Revenues from sporting events only.  Revenues to be shared between the civic 
auditorium and the professional sports team are limited to revenues from the sale of 
liquor sold at the time of sporting events conducted by that professional sports team. 
5.  Application.  The civic auditorium discloses any agreement with a professional 
sports team permitted under this section when submitting an application for a liquor 
license as required by section 651, subsection 2. 
SUMMARY 
This bill creates an exception to the law that prohibits a liquor license from being 
sold, assigned or subject to the control of a person other than the licensee.  The bill allows 
a civic auditorium that holds a liquor license and serves as the designated host facility for 
a professional sports team to enter into an agreement to share the proceeds from the sale 
of alcoholic beverages sold in conjunction with the professional team’s sporting events.  
In order to qualify for this exception, the civic auditorium must have the capacity to seat 
at least 3,000 people.