§ 44-32-503. Rules of Commission – Licensing – Criminal History Record Check

1. 1. The commission shall make reasonable rules for licensees to ensure:
      1. Fair play;
      2. The proper and safe conduct of the sport of horse racing;
      3. The health, safety, and welfare of persons and horses involved in a racing meet; and
      4. The high standards and integrity of the sport of horse racing.
   2. The commission rules shall also provide for the control, safety, supervision, fingerprinting, identification, and direction of applicants, registrants, and licensees. Commission rules shall provide for:

      (I) The supervising, disciplining, suspending, fining, and barring from racing of all persons required to be licensed or registered by this article 32;

      (II) A program for testing designated licensees for cause or by random selection to detect prohibited substances; and

      (III) The holding, conducting, and operating of all races, race meets, racetracks, in-state simulcast facilities, and out-of-state wagering on simulcast races conducted pursuant to this article 32. The commission shall announce the place, time, number of races per day, duration of race meets, as provided in section 44-32-603, and types of race meets.

   3. The commission may issue a temporary license or registration for up to a maximum of ninety days for any license or registration authorized under this article 32.
2. Every person holding a license or registration under this article 32, every person operating an in-state simulcast facility, and every owner or trainer of any horse entered in a racing contest under this article 32 shall comply with the commission’s rules and orders. It is unlawful for a person to work upon the premises of a racetrack without first obtaining from the commission a license or registration under this article 32; except that the commission may waive this licensing or registration requirement for occupational categories that the commission, in its discretion, deems unnecessary to be licensed or registered. This licensing or registration requirement does not apply to the members of the commission or its employees or to persons whose only participation is individually as spectator or bettor. It is unlawful for a person who owns or leases a racing animal to allow the animal to race in this state without first obtaining an owner’s license or registration from the commission, as prescribed by the rules of the commission. The commission may extend the validity of a license issued for a period not to exceed three years, and the fee for the license shall be increased proportionately; except that no temporary license or registration may be issued for a period longer than ninety days. It is unlawful for a person to hold a race meet with pari-mutuel wagering without obtaining a license for pari-mutuel wagering. It is unlawful for a person to operate an in-state simulcast facility unless that person is a licensee that has been licensed within the year to hold a race meet or is a licensee that has a written simulcast racing agreement with the in-state host track or out-of-state host track from which the simulcast race is broadcast and has filed a copy of the written simulcast racing agreement with the commission before operating as an in-state simulcast facility.
3. No person holding a license under this article 32 shall extend credit to another person for participation in pari-mutuel wagering.
4. 1. With the submission of an application for a license granted pursuant to this article 32, each applicant shall submit a set of fingerprints to the commission. The commission shall forward the fingerprints to the Colorado bureau of investigation for the purpose of conducting a state and national fingerprint-based criminal history record check utilizing records of the Colorado bureau of investigation and the federal bureau of investigation. Only the actual costs of the record check must be borne by the applicant. Nothing in this subsection (4) precludes the commission from making further inquiries into the background of the applicant.
   2. When the results of a fingerprint-based criminal history record check of an applicant performed pursuant to this subsection (4) reveal a record of arrest without a disposition, the commission shall require that applicant to submit to a name-based criminal history record check, as defined in section 22-2-119.3 (6)(d).

Source: L. 2018: (1) amended, (SB 18-172), ch. 129, p. 852, § 3, effective April 12; entire article added with relocations, (HB 18-1024), ch. 26, p. 297, § 2, effective October 1. L. 2019: (4) amended, (HB 19-1166), ch. 125, p. 563, § 65, effective April 18.

Editor’s note:

1. This section is similar to former § 12-60-503 as it existed prior to 2018.
2. Subsection (1) of this section was numbered as § 12-60-503 (1) in SB 18-172. That provision was harmonized with and relocated to this section as this section appears in HB 18-1024.