5:5-48. Admission of spectators; fees; admission tax; free passes

Every permit that shall be granted for the holding of a horse race meeting shall be upon the express condition and agreement that no person shall be admitted as a spectator without the payment of an admission fee in such amount as the permit holder may determine but in no event less than the price to be from time to time established by the commission, plus an admission tax of $0.05 per person for every paid admission, and that no free passes shall be issued except to the commissioners, employees of the commission, employees of the permit holders engaged in and about the operation of the permit holder's track, the owners of horses actually racing, their actual employees, and duly accredited members of the press; should the permit holder desire to issue free passes for admission to a horse race meeting other than those herein specified it shall be done only upon the approval of the commission.

The permit holder shall, at the same times payments are made to the commission pursuant to section 46 (C. 5:5-66), pay to the State Treasurer for deposit in an account to be known as a Local Expense Fund, hereby created, amounts collected by reason of the collection of an admission tax imposed by ordinance adopted pursuant to this section, which receipts shall be distributed as shall be provided by law.

The admission tax authorized under this section shall not be imposed, charged or collected except pursuant to an ordinance adopted by the governing body of the municipality in which the race meeting is held or, if the said race meeting is held at a site comprising parts of two or more municipalities, by substantially similar ordinances adopted by the governing bodies of each such municipality. Such ordinance or ordinances shall set forth the intention of the municipality that the admission tax authorized under this section shall be imposed at every race meeting held in the municipality subsequent to the adoption thereof, and shall remain in effect until repealed by the governing body. An admission tax imposed pursuant to similar ordinances adopted by two or more governing bodies shall remain in effect until the said ordinances have been repealed by all of them.

L.1940, c. 17, p. 81, s. 28. Amended by L.1974, c. 181, s. 2, eff. Dec. 16, 1974.