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ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Sixth Legislature, Second Regular Session
AMENDED
affordable
housing tax credits; extension
(NOW: gaming; boxing; mixed martial arts)
Purpose
Bifurcates the definition of sports facility for the purposes of event wagering. Makes various changes to the Arizona State Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts Commission (Commission) relating to licensure, boxing and mixed martial arts (MMA) contests, medical exams and rulemaking.
Background
The ADG regulates tribal gaming activities in accordance with the Arizona tribal-state gaming compacts and certifies casino employees and vendors working with casinos and licensing fantasy sports contests and event wagering (A.R.S. Title 5). In 2015, the Legislature established a Division of Boxing and MMA within the ADG to work with the Commission in regulating boxing and MMA (Laws 2015, Ch. 19).
The Commission is responsible for: 1) managing licensure for all referees, judges, matchmakers, promoters, trainers, ring announcers, timekeepers, ringside physicians, inspectors, MMA contestants, boxers, managers and seconds; 2) requiring medical examination and insurance coverage; 3) overseeing all contests; 4) ensuring payment to participants; and 5) conducting investigations and taking disciplinary action (A.R.S. Title 5, Chapter 2).
An event wagering operator licensee that is not an Indian tribe or tribal-owned entity may offer: 1) event wagering at an event wagering facility within a five-block radius of the operator's sports facility; and 2) mobile event wagering, including through an event wagering platform, as the ADG specifies. A sports facility is a facility that is owned by a commercial, state or local government or quasi-governmental entity that hosts professional sports events and that holds a seating capacity of more than 10,000 persons at its primary facility, one location in Arizona that hosts an annual golf tournament on the PGA tour and one location that holds an outdoor motorsports facility that hosts a national association for stock car auto racing national touring race (A.R.S. §§ 5-1301 and 5-1304).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.
Provisions
1. Modifies the definition of sports facility, for the purposes of event wagering and for a county with a population of fewer than 4,000,000 persons, by specifying that the 10,000-person facility seating capacity requirement may be met at the facility's primary facility in both the playing area and the area contiguous to the playing area as long as the building where the team plays has the requisite capacity to market, sell and make available for use 10,000 set as.
2. Specifies that the existing seating capacity requirement applies to a county with a population of 4,000,000 persons or more.
3. Defines combatant as any person who practices the sport of unarmed combat and replaces the term contestant with the term combatant.
4. Replaces the requirement for the Commission to use rules for MMA that are consistent with the rules adopted by the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board with an authorization for the Commission to use rules adopted by a boxing commission or any alternative rules of MMA approved by another jurisdiction within the United States.
5. Increases, from a class 2 misdemeanor to a class 1 misdemeanor, the penalty for conducting, holding, sponsoring, sanctioning or giving any contest that is subject to regulation by the Commission without first procuring an appropriate license or approval.
6. Decreases, from a class 1 misdemeanor to a class 2 misdemeanor, the penalty against a person who violates boxing and MMA statutes, rules or regulations.
7. Requires an applicant for a referee license, before the Commission issues the license, to submit to the Commission:
a) the results of a current medical exam performed by a physician licensed in the United States;
b) the results of an ophthalmological exam; and
c) any other exam or testing ordered by the Commission.
8. Requires a combatant license applicant to submit to the Commission the results of a current medical examination performed by any physician licensed in the United States, rather than an Arizona-licensed medical or osteopathic physician.
9. Requires a combatant license applicant who is at least 38 years old, rather than 36 years old, to submit to the Commission the results of a stress test administered by any physician licensed in the United States, rather than an Arizona-licensed medical or osteopathic physician.
10. Expires the results of all combatant medical examinations 365 days after the date the medical examination is performed and allows the Commission to grant a grace period of up to 15 days to align with the licensing period.
11. Removes the requirement for a license applicant to complete the required medical examination and tests after December 15 of the year before the year the license is issued or before December 15 of the same year the license issued.
12. Specifies that weigh-ins for all contests may not be more than one calendar day, rather than 24 hours, before the scheduled event time and removes the requirement for a weigh-in period to be one hour.
13. Specifies that the required insurance coverage paid by a promotor for a combatant is the primary insurance that must be exhausted before a combatant uses any other form of insurance.
14. Replaces the requirement for a chief of police or county sheriff to assign an officer or deputy to attend a boxing or MMA contest with a requirement for the promotor to request the chief of police or county sheriff to assign at least one officer or deputy to attend each contest.
15. Authorizes the Commission to grant a promoter permission to use private security services to attend a boxing or MMA contest if law enforcement officers or sheriff's deputies are not available.
16. Allows a matchmaker to request a referee reassignment.
17. Removes the requirement for the Commission to furnish a list of all licensed referees within the state to a protesting matchmaker to select another referee from the list and instead requires the Commission to make a reasonable effort to grant the request for referee reassignment.
18. Specifies that a license expires at midnight 365 days after the date of issuance, rather than at midnight on December 31 in the year of license issuance.
19. Makes technical and conforming changes.
20. Becomes effective on the general effective date.
Amendments Adopted by Committee
1. Defines combatant as any person who practices the sport of unarmed combat and replaces the term contestant with the term combatant.
2. Allows the Commission to use rules adopted by a boxing commission or any alternative rules of MMA approved by another jurisdiction within the United States.
3. Increases, from a class 2 misdemeanor to a class 1 misdemeanor, the penalty for participating in any contest that is subject to regulation by the Commission without first procuring an appropriate license or approval.
4. Requires an applicant for a referee license to submit specified medical exam information to the Commission before the Commission issues the license.
5. Allows any required medical exam to be conducted by any physician licensed in the United States, rather than an Arizona-licensed medical or osteopathic physician, and specifies that an exam expires 365 days after the exam is performed.
6. Specifies that weigh-ins for all contests may not be more than one calendar day, rather than 24 hours, before the scheduled event time and removes the requirement for a weigh-in period to be one hour.
7. Specifies that a license expires at midnight 365 days after the date of issuance, rather than at midnight on December 31 in the year of license issuance.
8. Specifies that the required insurance coverage paid by a promotor for a combatant is the primary insurance that must be exhausted before a combatant uses any other form of insurance.
9. Replaces the requirement for a chief of police or county sheriff to assign an officer or deputy to attend a boxing or MMA contest with a requirement for the promotor to request the chief of police or county sheriff to assign at least one officer or deputy to attend each contest.
10. Authorizes the Commission to grant a promoter permission to use private security services to attend a contest if law enforcement officers or sheriff's deputies are not available.
11. Allows a matchmaker to request a referee reassignment and requires the Commission to make a reasonable effort to grant the request for referee reassignment.
12. Makes technical and conforming changes.
Amendments Adopted by Committee of the Whole
1. Adopted the strike-everything amendment.
2. Increases, from a class 2 misdemeanor to a class 1 misdemeanor, the penalty against a person who conducts, holds, sponsors, sanctions or gives boxing or other contests that are subject to regulation by the Commission without first procuring a license or approval, as prescribed.
3. Reinstates the class 2 misdemeanor penalty against a person who participates in any contest that is subject to regulation by the Commission without first procuring a license or approval, as prescribed.
4. Decreases, from a class 1 misdemeanor to a class 2 misdemeanor, the penalty against a person who violates boxing and MMA statutes, rules or regulations.
Senate Action
FICO 2/12/24 DPA/SE 5-2-0
Prepared by Senate Research
March 7, 2024
MG/cs