Title 8, Title 8

The department has the following responsibilities under this chapter. [PL 1997, c. 528, §6 (NEW).] 1. Strategies. The department shall work with members of the harness racing industry to formulate common strategies for improving the status of harness racing in the State. 2. Leade…

The chief operating officer of the State Harness Racing Commission is the executive director. [PL 1999, c. 790, Pt. A, §8 (RAL).] 1. Position. The executive director is a classified position within the department. 2. Appointment. The commissioner shall appoint an executive direct…

The department may employ such personnel as it considers necessary to provide adequate oversight and enforcement and to carry out the purposes of this chapter, subject to the Civil Service Law. The department may fix the compensation of the employees on a per diem basis, subject …

Members of the commission are entitled to be compensated as provided in Title 5, chapter 379. [PL 1997, c. 527, §3 (AMD); PL 1997, c. 528, §8 (AMD).] Compensation of the members of the commission and all other necessary expenses of the commission must be paid out of the operating…

Compensation of the commissioners, their assistants and all other necessary expenses of the commission shall be paid out of the operating account established under section 267‑A.

1. Budget. The department shall develop a recommended operating budget covering All Other account expenses for the biennium for the operating account established in section 267‑A. The recommended budget must provide for the conduct of core activities necessary to carry out the pr…

1. Account established. An operating account for the commission, referred to in this section as "the operating account," is established as a dedicated, nonlapsing fund. Funds in the operating account may be allocated and expended only for the purposes of funding the operations of…

The commission shall adopt rules for holding, conducting and operating all harness horse races or meets for public exhibition held in this State; for the establishment of a minimum number of race dates at commercial tracks; and for the operation of racetracks on which any such ra…

No person, association or corporation shall hold, conduct or operate any harness horse race or meet for public exhibition, if pari-mutuel betting is permitted, within the State without a license from the commission.

Any person, association or corporation licensed to conduct pari-mutuel betting desiring to hold a harness horse race or meet for public exhibition if pari-mutuel betting is permitted shall apply to the commission for a license to do so. The application must be signed and sworn to…

For the purposes of Title 1, section 402, subsection 3, the types of records and information listed in section 1006, subsection 1 when collected by or provided to the commission are designated as confidential and may not be disclosed except as provided in section 1006, subsection…

1. Licensing. If the commission is satisfied that all of this chapter and rules prescribed by the commission have been substantially complied with during the past year and will be fully complied with during the coming year by the person, association or corporation applying for a …

Every person, association or corporation licensed under this chapter shall, before said license is issued, give bond or irrevocable letter of credit to the State in such reasonable sum, not exceeding $100,000, as may be fixed by the commission, with a surety or sureties to be app…

Notwithstanding any provision of this chapter to the contrary, up to 3% of funds designated to supplement purses may be paid to a statewide association of horse owners, trainers and drivers in accordance with this section. A statewide association of horse owners, trainers and dri…

1. Establishment; deposits; rules. A licensee conducting live racing in the State shall establish a trust account for the benefit of the persons who race horses at that licensee's facility. Except as provided by subsection 3, funds distributed to or retained by the licensee pursu…

Any person, association or corporation holding or conducting, or any person or persons aiding or abetting in the holding or conducting of, any harness horse race or meet for public exhibition within the State without a license duly issued by the commission when a license is requi…

As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise indicates, the following terms have the following meanings. [PL 1997, c. 528, §13 (AMD).] 1. Commercial track. "Commercial track" means any harness horse racing track that is a for-profit business and is licensed under this ch…

The following persons may sell pari-mutuel pools on horse racing in accordance with this chapter and rules adopted by the commission. [PL 1993, c. 388, §8 (NEW).] 1. Racetracks. A person licensed pursuant to section 271 to conduct harness horse racing with pari-mutuel betting may…

1. Authority. A person authorized to sell pari-mutuel pools on horse racing may sell common pari-mutuel pools for simulcast races. The sale must be conducted within the enclosure of the licensee's racetrack, at the licensee's slot machine facilities licensed pursuant to section 1…

1. Off-track betting on simulcast racing. A person may conduct pari-mutuel wagering at an off-track betting facility that is licensed under this section if the facility is located and operated within a hotel, as defined in Title 28‑A, section 2, subsection 15, paragraph H, with p…

1. Commissions. Except as provided in subsection 2, the total commission on pools of regular wagers is 18% of each dollar wagered and the total commission on pools of exotic wagers is 26% of each dollar wagered, plus the odd cents of all redistribution to be based on each dollar …

The commission may allow interstate simulcasting and license any off-track betting facility regardless of the number of race dates that were conducted in the State for any calendar year. Interstate simulcasting always must be allowed at any commercial track.

1. Eligible licensees. This section grants reduced payments to licensees of off-track betting facilities that were licensed and open for business before April 1, 2000 and that have a market area, as described in section 275‑D, subsection 4, with a population of less than 50,000. …

The payment under section 287 must be made not later than 7 days after each race and must be accompanied by a report under oath showing the total of all contributions to pari-mutuel pools covered by the report and other information the department may require.

Upon the expiration of one year after the close of any harness horse race or race meet which has sold pari-mutuel tickets, any unclaimed pari-mutuel tickets outstanding shall no longer be valid and no claim for redemption shall be entertained by the commission or the racing assoc…

Other than funds used exclusively to pay harness racing purses, a commercial track that ceases operation is entitled to distribution of all funds maintained by the State under this chapter based on the number of race days conducted by that commercial track up to and including the…

Every person, association or corporation conducting a race or race meet under the provisions of this chapter shall so keep its books and records as to clearly show all financial transactions related to sections 281, 298, 299 and 300, which books and records are subject to audit a…

A minor, whether attending a race or employed in any manner on or about a racetrack, may not be permitted to participate in any pari-mutuel pool or be admitted to any pari-mutuel sales area.

The commission may regulate the making of pari-mutuel pools and the distribution from pari-mutuel pools. The department may supervise and check the making of pari-mutuel pools and the distribution from pari-mutuel pools. The department may investigate as to the direct and indirec…

For the purpose of enabling the commission to exercise and maintain a proper control over racing conducted under this chapter, the commission may adopt rules for the licensing, with or without fee in the discretion of the commission, of owners, trainers, drivers, grooms and all o…

To enforce the provisions of this chapter and the rules referred to in section 279‑A, the commission is authorized to establish a schedule for fines for each violation of this chapter or the rules. The commission is authorized to levy a fine, after notice and hearing, for each vi…

At all harness race meetings licensed by the commission in accordance with this chapter, qualified judges and starters, approved and licensed by the commission and employed by the licensee under section 271, shall enforce the rules and regulations of the commission as provided by…

Beginning January 1, 2004, applicants for an owner's license must provide proof of liability insurance on horses owned by the applicant in an amount not less than $300,000. Copies of that liability insurance coverage must accompany the application for an owner's license.

Upon request of the commission, a person who signs an application for and receives a trainer's license in accordance with this chapter and rules adopted under section 279‑A shall submit a horse trained by that licensee, qualified to race and identified by the commission for the p…

1. Violation; interference with horse. A person may not intentionally or knowingly: A. Interfere with, tamper, injure, destroy, stimulate or depress by the use of narcotics, drugs, stimulants or appliances of any kind any horse used for the purpose of racing, whether that horse i…

The department shall encourage and promote the breeding of a strain of Maine Standardbreds and make provision to encourage donations of the same by licensees or others to persons or institutions within the State for breeding purposes. [PL 1997, c. 528, §42 (AMD).] The commission,…

Notwithstanding section 281, a foal resulting from insemination may be registered as a Maine Standardbred if it is the offspring of a stallion registered with the department to stand at stud in the State for the breeding season during which the insemination took place and all oth…

It is the duty of the Attorney General with the aid of the district attorneys of the several counties to enforce this chapter upon notification from the department of any violations of this chapter.

The department shall obtain current listings from other jurisdictions of persons in harness racing occupations regulated by the commission who have been refused a license or who have had their license revoked or suspended. The commission shall refuse to license or shall suspend t…

1. Live racing. The distribution of the commission on live racing is calculated as percentages of the handle and distributed as follows. A. On exotic wagers: (1) The state share is 2.248%; (2) The Sire Stakes Fund share is 1.551%; (3) The Stipend Fund share is 1.169%; (4) The pur…

1. Payment. Amounts calculated as state share under section 286 must be paid to the Treasurer of State for deposit in the operating account established under section 267‑A. If the total of regular and exotic wagers placed at facilities licensed under this chapter exceeds $35,000,…

Amounts calculated as Sire Stakes Fund share under section 286 must be paid to the Treasurer of State for deposit in the Sire Stakes Fund for use as provided in section 281.

1. Initial distribution to Stipend Fund. The Treasurer of State shall credit .189% of the commission on regular wagers made to interstate commingled pools, .402% of the commission on exotic wagers made to interstate commingled pools, 0.72% of the regular wagers made to all other …

1. Payment. Amounts received pursuant to section 1218, subsection 1, paragraph C and amounts calculated as purse supplement share under section 286 must be paid to the commission for distribution as provided in subsection 2. 2. Distribution. On May 30th, September 30th and Januar…

Amounts calculated as Harness Racing Promotional Fund share under section 286 must be paid to the Treasurer of State for deposit in the Harness Racing Promotional Fund for use as provided in section 299‑A.

Amounts calculated as horse owners', trainers' and drivers' purse share under section 286 must be retained by the licensee to supplement purse money at the track where the wager was placed, except that, for wagers placed at a racetrack in the State on a simulcast race conducted a…