Except as provided in Section 19852.2, an owner of a gambling enterprise that is not a natural person shall not be eligible for a state gambling license unless each of the following persons individually holds a state gambling license:

(a) If the owner is a corporation, then each officer, director, and shareholder, other than a holding or intermediary company, of the owner. The foregoing does not apply to an owner that is either a publicly traded racing association or a qualified racing association.

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Terms Used In California Business and Professions Code 19852

  • Beneficiary: A person who is entitled to receive the benefits or proceeds of a will, trust, insurance policy, retirement plan, annuity, or other contract. Source: OCC
  • Commission: means the California Gambling Control Commission. See California Business and Professions Code 19805
  • Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
  • Director: means a director of a corporation or a person performing similar functions with respect to any organization. See California Business and Professions Code 19805
  • Gambling: means to deal, operate, carry on, conduct, maintain, or expose for play a controlled game. See California Business and Professions Code 19805
  • Gambling operation: means exposing for play one or more controlled games that are dealt, operated, carried on, conducted, or maintained for commercial gain. See California Business and Professions Code 19805
  • Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
  • Institutional investor: means a retirement fund administered by a public agency for the exclusive benefit of federal, state, or local public employees, an investment company registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 (15 U. See California Business and Professions Code 19805
  • License: means a gambling license, key employee license, or any other license issued by the commission pursuant to this chapter or regulations adopted pursuant to this chapter. See California Business and Professions Code 19805
  • Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
  • Publicly traded racing association: means a corporation licensed to conduct horse racing and simulcast wagering pursuant to Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 19400) whose stock is publicly traded. See California Business and Professions Code 19805
  • Qualified racing association: means a corporation licensed to conduct horse racing and simulcast wagering pursuant to Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 19400) that is a wholly owned subsidiary of a corporation whose stock is publicly traded. See California Business and Professions Code 19805
  • State: means the State of California, unless applied to the different parts of the United States. See California Business and Professions Code 21
  • state gambling license: means a license issued by the state that authorizes the person named therein to conduct a gambling operation. See California Business and Professions Code 19805
  • Trustee: A person or institution holding and administering property in trust.
  • Trustor: The person who makes or creates a trust. Also known as the grantor or settlor.

(b) If the owner is a publicly traded racing association, then each officer, director, and owner, other than an institutional investor, of 5 percent or more of the outstanding shares of the publicly traded corporation.

(c) If the owner is a qualified racing association, then each officer, director, and shareholder, other than an institutional investor, of the subsidiary corporation and any owner, other than an institutional investor, of 5 percent or more of the outstanding shares of the publicly traded corporation.

(d) If the owner is a partnership, then every general and limited partner of, and every trustee or person, other than a holding or intermediary company, having or acquiring a direct or beneficial interest in, that partnership owner.

(e) If the owner is a trust, then the trustee and, in the discretion of the commission, any beneficiary and the trustor of the trust.

(f) If the owner is a limited liability company, every officer, manager, member, or owner.

(g) If the owner is a business organization other than a corporation, partnership, trust, or limited liability company, then all those persons as the commission may require, consistent with this chapter.

(h) Each person who receives, or is to receive, any percentage share of the revenue earned by the owner from gambling activities.

(i) Every employee, agent, guardian, personal representative, lender, or holder of indebtedness of the owner who, in the judgment of the commission, has the power to exercise a significant influence over the gambling operation.

(Amended by Stats. 2023, Ch. 302, Sec. 2. (AB 1271) Effective January 1, 2024.)

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