NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The legislature finds that there is a practice known as stay-to-play that requires nonlocal teams or individual participants to stay at a specific lodging accommodation in order to participate in a tournament or event. The tournament or event organizers work with entities, typically hotels, to secure blocks of rooms at negotiated rates, with the organizer typically receiving a rebate from the hotel. Any nonlocal team, which is usually defined by a specified distance, often 60 to 100 miles away, must book their accommodations through a lodging process on the event or tournament website. This allows the organizer to track and account for rooms in order to demonstrate economic impact to the city or facility hosting the event or tournament.

The legislature finds that in some instances teams who do not book through the tournament or event, or do not book a minimum number of rooms, will be removed from the tournament and in some cases are fined. Some tournaments and events allow teams or participants to opt out of the stay-to-play policy if they pay an opt-out fee to the organizer. This could include participants who want to stay with family, use a timeshare, book a short-term rental house, or camp. The legislature recognizes that while stay-to-play policies benefit the event and tournament organizers, families are left with fewer accommodation choices in terms of type, location, and price; are not permitted to book accommodations using military benefits, rewards programs, or accumulated points; and are forced to pay certain accommodation rates, on top of event or tournament registration fees, in order to allow their children to participate in extracurricular activities, such as cheer competitions or soccer tournaments. Therefore, the legislature finds that this is an unfair business practice that limits free market choice and competition, and is prohibitive and restrictive for Washington families.

(2) The legislature finds that the practices covered by this section are matters vitally affecting the public interest for the purpose of applying the consumer protection act, chapter 19.86 RCW. A violation of this section is not reasonable in relation to the development and preservation of business and is an unfair or deceptive act in trade or commerce and an unfair method of competition for the purpose of applying the consumer protection act, chapter 19.86 RCW.