A 2260: Allows bars and restaurants to organize and manage sports squares pools, provided that they do not take any profit from such pools.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 2260 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY January 16, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. GANDOLFO, DeSTEFANO, E. BROWN, MORINELLO, BRABE- NEC, ANGELINO, MAHER, GRAY, BEEPHAN -- read once and referred to the Committee on Racing and Wagering AN ACT to amend the racing, pari-mutuel wagering and breeding law, in relation to allowing bars and restaurants to organize and manage sports squares pools The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Paragraphs (bb) and (cc) of subdivision 1 of section 1367 2 of the racing, pari-mutuel wagering and breeding law, as amended by 3 section 3 of part Y of chapter 59 of the laws of 2021, are amended and a 4 new paragraph (dd) is added to read as follows: 5 (bb) "Suspicious wagering activity" means unusual wagering activity 6 that cannot be explained and is indicative of match fixing, the manipu- 7 lation of an event, misuse of inside information, or other prohibited 8 activity; [and] 9 (cc) "Independent integrity monitor" means an independent individual 10 or entity approved by the commission to receive reports of unusual 11 wagering activity from a casino, mobile sports wagering licensee, or 12 commission for the purpose of assisting in identifying suspicious wager- 13 ing activity[.]; and 14 (dd) "Sports squares pool" means a type of sports pool whereby two 15 teams competing in a single sports event are each separately assigned to 16 the x or y axis of a grid, with a numerical value assigned to each 17 corresponding column and row of such grid, and where bettors choose one 18 or more cells of such grid as the basis of their wager, with the winner 19 of such sports pool being determined by the cell or cells of such grid 20 corresponding with the resulting score at the end of, or at a pre-deter- 21 mined point during, such sports event, and any additional parameters set 22 by the organizer of such sports pool. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD04563-01-5 
 A. 2260 2 1 § 2. Section 1367 of the racing, pari-mutuel wagering and breeding law 2 is amended by adding a new subdivision 17 to read as follows: 3 17. A bar or restaurant otherwise operating in compliance with the 4 provisions of title eight of article thirteen of the public health law, 5 and licensed to sell liquor, wine and beer on-premises pursuant to 6 section sixty-four or sixty-four-a of the alcoholic beverage control 7 law, shall be permitted to organize and manage sports squares pools for 8 participation by customers of such bar or restaurant; provided that such 9 bar or restaurant does not take a profit from the funds of any such 10 sports squares pool, and that the entirety of wagers placed by bettors 11 participating in any such sports squares pool are paid to the winner or 12 winners of such sports squares pool. A bar or restaurant organizing and 13 managing a sports squares pool in accordance with the provisions of this 14 section shall not be in violation of any other provision of this chap- 15 ter. 16 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.