{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-3a-3a-204","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 3A, § 3A-204","heading":"Powers and duties of Commission","body":"A. The Oklahoma Horse Racing Commission shall:\n\n1. Have supervision of:\n\na. all race meetings held in this state; provided, for\n\nnon-pari-mutuel race meetings and training races held\n\nat non-pari-mutuel tracks jurisdiction of the\n\nCommission shall be limited to a period of time\n\nbeginning twelve (12) hours before the commencement of\n\nthe first race on a race day and ending four (4) hours\n\nafter the finish of the last race on a race day,\n\nb. all occupation and organization licensees in this\n\nstate, and\n\nc. all persons on the property of an organization\n\nlicensee; provided, for non-pari-mutuel race meetings\n\nand training races held at non-pari-mutuel tracks\n\nsupervision of such persons shall be limited to the\n\nperiod set out in subparagraph a of this paragraph;\n\n2. Have the authority to promulgate rules for the purpose of\n\nadministering the provisions of the Oklahoma Horse Racing Act;\n\n3. Administer and enforce the provisions of the Oklahoma Horse\n\nRacing Act and the rules of the Commission;\n\n4. Adjudicate controversies arising from the enforcement of the\n\nprovisions of the Oklahoma Horse Racing Act and the rules of the\n\nCommission;\n\n5. Allocate racing days of not to exceed six (6) days per\n\ncalendar week, dates, and hours which are in the best interests of\n\nthe people of this state to organization licensees;\n\n6. Promulgate rules for the granting or refusing and the\n\nsuspension or revoking of licenses;\n\n7. Promulgate rules for the holding, conducting, and operating\n\nof all race meetings held in this state; provided, the rules of the\n\nAmerican Quarter Horse Association for regulation of the holding,\n\nconducting and operating of non-pari-mutuel race meetings and\n\ntraining races held at non-pari-mutuel tracks shall serve as the\n\nrules for the holding, conducting and operating of non-pari-mutuel\n\nrace meetings and training races held at non-pari-mutuel tracks,\n\nexcept that appeals from decisions of the stewards shall be to the\n\nCommission, until such time as the Commission has promulgated\n\nsubstantially similar rules for regulation of the holding,\n\nconducting and operating of non-pari-mutuel race meetings and\n\ntraining races held at non-pari-mutuel tracks;\n\n8. Have supervision and control of the pari-mutuel machines and\n\nall other equipment at all race meetings held in this state;\n\n9. Check the making of pari-mutuel pools and the distribution\n\nof such pools and shall:\n\na. contract with the Office of the State Auditor and\n\nInspector to conduct an annual audit and inspection of\n\nlive race meets in this state, and\n\nb. reimburse the Office of the State Auditor and\n\nInspector for the cost of these services;\n\n10. Promulgate rules governing:\n\na. bids on leases,\n\nb. the rate charged by an organization licensee for\n\nadmission to races, and\n\nc. the rate charged for the performance of any service or\n\nfor the sale of any article on the premises of an\n\norganization licensee;\n\n11. Approve all contracts and agreements for the payment of\n\nmoney and all salaries, fees, and compensations by any organization\n\nlicensee;\n\n12. Have the authority to exclude, or compel the exclusion,\n\nfrom any race meeting:\n\na. any person who violates the provisions of any rule or\n\norder of the Commission or any law of this state, any\n\nother state, or the United States,\n\nb. any person who has been previously convicted of\n\nviolating any law of this state, any other state, the\n\nUnited States, or\n\nc. any other person, licensed or unlicensed, whose\n\nconduct or reputation is such that his or her presence\n\nat the race meeting may, in the opinion of the\n\nCommission reflect on the honesty and integrity of\n\nhorse racing or interfere with the orderly conduct of\n\nthe race meeting. No person shall be excluded or\n\nejected from a race meeting solely on the grounds of\n\nrace, color, creed, sex, national origin, or ancestry;\nlicensed or unlicensed, whose\n\nconduct or reputation is such that his or her presence\n\nat the race meeting may, in the opinion of the\n\nCommission reflect on the honesty and integrity of\n\nhorse racing or interfere with the orderly conduct of\n\nthe race meeting. No person shall be excluded or\n\nejected from a race meeting solely on the grounds of\n\nrace, color, creed, sex, national origin, or ancestry;\n\n13. Have investigatory powers and authority to place attendants\n\nand such other persons as may be deemed necessary by the Commission\n\nin the offices, on the tracks, or in places of business of any\n\norganization licensee for the purpose of determining whether an\n\norganization or occupation licensee is complying with the provisions\n\nof the Oklahoma Horse Racing Act and the rules of the Commission;\n\n14. Have authority to acquire or contract with, or establish,\n\nmaintain, and operate testing laboratories and related facilities\n\nfor the purpose of conducting:\n\na. human substance abuse testing on occupation licensees\n\nwho may affect the outcome of race results. Human\n\nsubstance abuse tests and the laboratories performing\n\nsuch tests must meet the nationally recognized\n\nstandards specified in the Mandatory Guidelines for\n\nFederal Workplace Drug Testing Programs adopted by the\n\nUnited States Department of Health and Human Services.\n\nThe Commission may require any occupation licensee to\n\nsubmit to a human substance abuse test if the\n\nCommission has probable cause to believe that such\n\nlicensee is possessing or using any controlled\n\ndangerous substance or any other drug in violation of\n\nany federal or state law. Provided, on and after July\n\n1, 1994, such testing shall be in compliance with the\n\nprovisions of the Standards for Workplace Drug and\n\nAlcohol Testing Act, and\n\nb. a saliva test, a blood test, a urine test, or other\n\ntests or combinations of tests on the horses run or to\n\nbe run in any race meeting. Prior to the Commission\n\nentering into any contract pursuant to this paragraph,\n\nthe Attorney General shall review and approve the\n\ncontract. Any contract entered into pursuant to this\n\nparagraph shall contain the specifications that were\n\nin the request for bid for the contract;\n\n15. Approve of all proposed construction on property owned or\n\nleased by an organization licensee;\n\n16. Have authority to require that all financial, employment,\n\nor other records of an organization licensee shall be kept in such\n\nmanner as prescribed by the Commission and shall be subject to\n\ninspection by the Commission. The organization licensee shall\n\nsubmit to the Commission an annual balance sheet, profit-and-loss\n\nstatement, and any other information the Commission deems necessary\n\nin order to administer the provisions of the Oklahoma Horse Racing\n\nAct;\n\n17. Have the authority to suspend or revoke a license or impose\n\nfines in amounts not to exceed Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00)\n\nagainst individuals for each violation and in amounts not to exceed\n\nTwenty Thousand Dollars ($20,000.00) against organization licensees\n\nfor each violation of any provision of the Oklahoma Horse Racing\n\nAct, any rules adopted by the Commission, or any order of the\n\nCommission, or for any other action which, in the discretion of the\n\nCommission, is a detriment or impediment to horse racing or both\n\nsuch suspension or revocation and fine. Each day upon which such\n\nviolation or other action by the organization licensee occurs shall\n\nconstitute a separate offense;\n\n18. Have authority to suspend a horse from participating in\n\nraces if the horse has been involved in any violation of the rules\n\npromulgated by the Commission or the provisions of the Oklahoma\n\nHorse Racing Act; and\n\n19. Prepare and submit an annual report to the Governor, the\n\nSpeaker of the House of Representatives, and the President Pro\n\nTempore of the Senate. The report shall include an account of the\nauthority to suspend a horse from participating in\n\nraces if the horse has been involved in any violation of the rules\n\npromulgated by the Commission or the provisions of the Oklahoma\n\nHorse Racing Act; and\n\n19. Prepare and submit an annual report to the Governor, the\n\nSpeaker of the House of Representatives, and the President Pro\n\nTempore of the Senate. The report shall include an account of the\n\noperations, actions, and orders of the Commission, and an accounting\n\nof all revenue received by the Commission.\n\nB. 1. The Commission may delegate to stewards or the Executive\n\nDirector, those of its powers and duties as it deems necessary to\n\nfully implement and effectuate the purposes of the Oklahoma Horse\n\nRacing Act.\n\n2. The Commission, upon appeal or due consideration, may\n\noverrule any decision of a steward except decisions regarding\n\ndisqualifications for interference during the running of a race if a\n\npreponderance of evidence indicates:\n\na. the stewards mistakenly interpreted the law,\n\nb. new evidence of a convincing nature is produced, or\n\nc. the best interests of racing and the state may be\n\nbetter served.\n\n3. Any decision pertaining to the finish of a race, as used for\n\npurposes of pari-mutuel pool distribution to winning ticket holders,\n\nmay not be overruled. Any decision pertaining to the distribution\n\nof purses may be changed only if a claim is made in writing to the\n\nCommission by one of the involved owners or trainers, and a\n\npreponderance of evidence clearly indicates to the Commission that\n\none or more of the grounds for protest, as provided for in the rules\n\nprepared by the Commission, has been substantiated.\n\nAdded by State Question No. 553, Initiative Petition No. 315,\n\nadopted at election held Sept. 21, 1982. Amended by Laws 1983, c.\n\n11, § 13, emerg. eff. March 22, 1983; Laws 1985, c. 196, § 3, emerg.\n\neff. June 26, 1985; Laws 1987, c. 208, § 68, operative July 1, 1987;","path":["OK Code","Title 3A"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os3A.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"37714f7716a9d5e217027dc202bfd74486f9588fb4a5e49a6f93f28ec02e1a6e","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-3a-3a-203.8","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-3a-3a-204.1b"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}