§29-22C-3 Definitions. - West Virginia Statutes

§29-22C-3. Definitions.
(a) Applicability of definitions. -- For the purposes of this article, the words or terms defined in this section, and any variation of those words or terms required by the context, have the meanings ascribed to them in this section. These definitions are applicable unless a different meaning clearly appears from the context in which the word or term is used.

(b) Terms defined. --

(1) "Adjusted gross receipts" means gross receipts from West Virginia Lottery table games less winnings paid to patrons wagering on the racetrack's table games.

(2) "Applicant" means any person who on his or her own behalf, or on behalf of another, has applied for permission to engage in any act or activity that is regulated under the provision of this article for which a license is required by this article or rule of the commission.

(3) "Application" means any written request for permission to engage in any act or activity that is regulated under the provisions of this article submitted in the form prescribed by the commission.

(4) "Background investigation" means a security, criminal and credit investigation of an applicant who has applied for the issuance or renewal of a license pursuant to this article, or a licensee who holds a current license.

(5) "Commission" or "State Lottery Commission" means the West Virginia Lottery Commission created by article twenty-two of this chapter.

(6) "Complimentary" means a service or item provided at no cost or at a reduced price.

(7) "Compensation" means any money, thing of value, or financial benefit conferred or received by a person in return for services rendered, or to be rendered, whether by that person or another.

(8) "Contested case" means a proceeding before the commission, or a hearing examiner designated by the commission to hear the contested case, in which the legal rights, duties, interests or privileges of specific persons are required by law or Constitutional right to be determined after a commission hearing, but does not include cases in which the commission issues a license, permit or certificate after an examination to test the knowledge or ability of the applicant where the controversy concerns whether the examination was fair or whether the applicant passed the examination and does not include rule making.

(9) "Control" means the authority directly or indirectly to direct the management and policies of an applicant for a license issued under this article or the holder of a license issued under this article.

(10) "Designated gaming area" means one or more specific floor areas of a licensed racetrack within which the commission has authorized operation of racetrack video lottery terminals or table games, or the operation of both racetrack video lottery terminals and West Virginia Lottery table games.

(11) "Director" means the Director of the West Virginia State Lottery Commission appointed pursuant to section six, article twenty-two of this chapter.

(12) "Disciplinary action" is an action by the commission suspending or revoking a license, fining, excluding, reprimanding or otherwise penalizing a person for violating this article or rules promulgated by the commission.

(13) "Financial interest" or "financially interested" means any interest in investments, awarding of contracts, grants, loans, purchases, leases, sales or similar matters under consideration for consummation by the commission. A member, employee or agent of the commission will be considered to have a financial interest in a matter under consideration if any of the following circumstances exist:

(A) He or she owns one percent or more of any class of outstanding securities that are issued by a party to the matter under consideration by the commission; or

(B) He or she is employed by an independent contractor for a party to the matter under consideration or consummated by the commission.

(14) "Gaming equipment" means gaming tables, cards, dice, chips, shufflers, drop boxes or any other mechanical, electronic or other device, mechanism or equipment or related supplies used or consumed in the operation of any West Virginia Lottery table game at a licensed racetrack.

(15) "Gross receipts" means the total of all sums including valid or invalid checks, currency, tokens, coupons (excluding match play coupons), vouchers or instruments of monetary value whether collected or uncollected, received by a racetrack with table games from table gaming operations at a race track, including all entry fees assessed for tournaments or other contests.

(16) "Indirect ownership" means an interest a person owns in an entity or in property solely as a result of application of constructive ownership rules without regard to any direct ownership interest (or other beneficial interest) in the entity or property. "Indirect ownership" shall be determined under the same rules applicable to determining whether a gain or loss between related parties is recognized for federal income tax purposes.

(17) "Licensed racetrack" means a thoroughbred horse or greyhound dog racing facility licensed under both article twenty-two-a of this chapter and article twenty-three, chapter nineteen of this code.

(18) "License" means any license applied for or issued by the commission under this article, including, but not limited to:

(A) A license to act as agent of the commission in operating West Virginia Lottery table games at a licensed racetrack;

(B) A license to supply a racetrack licensed under this article to operate table games with table gaming equipment or services necessary for the operation of table games;

(C) A license to be employed at a racetrack licensed under this article to operate West Virginia Lottery table games when the employee works in a designated gaming area that has table games or performs duties in furtherance of or associated with the operation of table games at the licensed racetrack; or

(D) A license to provide management services under a contract to a racetrack licensed under this article to operate table games.

(19) "Licensee" means any person who is licensed under any provision of this article.

(20) "Lottery" means the public gaming systems or games regulated, controlled, owned and operated by the State Lottery Commission in the manner provided by general law, as provided in this article and in articles twenty-two, twenty-two-a, twenty-two-b and twenty-five of this chapter.

(21) "Member" means a commission member appointed to the West Virginia Lottery Commission under article twenty-two of this chapter.

(22) "National criminal history background check system" means the criminal history record system maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation based on fingerprint identification or any other method of positive identification.

(23) "Own" means any beneficial or proprietary interest in any real or personal property, including intellectual property, and also includes, but is not limited to, any direct or indirect beneficial or proprietary interest in any business of an applicant or licensee.

(24) "Person" means any natural person, and any corporation, association, partnership, limited liability company, limited liability partnership, trust or other entity, regardless of its form, structure or nature other than a government agency or instrumentality.

(25) "Player" or "Patron" means a person who plays a racetrack video lottery game or a West Virginia Lottery table game at a racetrack licensed under this article to have table games.

(26) "Player's account" means a financial record established by a licensed racetrack for an individual racetrack patron to which the racetrack may credit winnings and other amounts due to the racetrack patron and from which the patron may withdraw moneys due to the patron for purchase of tokens, chips or electronic media or other purposes.

(27) "Racetrack table games license" means authorization granted under this article by the commission to a racetrack that is already licensed under article twenty-two-a of this chapter to operate racetrack video lottery terminals and holds a valid racing license granted by the West Virginia Racing Commission pursuant to the provision of article twenty-three, chapter nineteen of this code, which permits the racetrack as an agent of the commission for the limited purpose of operation of West Virginia Lottery table games in one or more designated gaming areas in one or more buildings owned by the licensed racetrack on the grounds where live pari-mutuel racing is conducted by the licensee.

(28) "Racetrack Table Games Fund" means the special fund in the State Treasury created in section twenty-seven of this article.

(29) "Significant influence" means the capacity of a person to affect substantially (but not control) either, or both, of the financial and operating policies of another person.

(30) "Supplier" means a person who the commission has identified under legislative rules of the commission as requiring a license to provide a racetrack table games licensee with goods or services to be used in connection with operation of table games.

(31) "Wager" means a sum of money or thing of value risked on an uncertain occurrence.

(32) "West Virginia Lottery table game" means any game played with cards, dice or any mechanical, electromechanical or electronic device or machine for money, credit or any representative of value, including, but not limited to, baccarat, blackjack, poker, craps, roulette, wheel of fortune or any variation of these games similar in design or operation and expressly authorized by rule of the commission, including multiplayer electronic table games, machines and devices, but excluding video lottery, punchboards, faro, numbers tickets, push cards, jar tickets, pull tabs or similar games.

(33) "Winnings" means the total cash value of all property or sums including currency, tokens, or instruments of monetary value paid to players as a direct result of wagers placed on West Virginia Lottery table games.