S-2043.1  _______________________________________________

                    SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5815

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      56th Legislature     1999 Regular Session

By Senate Committee on Commerce, Trade, Housing & Financial Institutions (originally sponsored by Senators Prentice, Winsley, Heavey, Deccio, T. Sheldon, Honeyford, Gardner, Hale, Benton, Rasmussen, Loveland, Swecker and Sellar)

Read first time 03/03/1999.

Lowering the maximum tax rate on social card games.

    AN ACT Relating to social card games; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  The legislature declares that the decision to authorize house-banked social card games has increased employment opportunities for Washington residents and led to increased tax revenues for local governments.  The legislature further declares that its policy of exclusive state authority for the licensing and regulation of gambling activities has served the state well, and has significantly reduced the opportunity for, or likelihood of, corruption in the operation of social card games.  The legislature further declares that further study on the gambling policy of the state is advisable.

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