Peterson says GAC makes real progress
By Neil Peterson, Exec. Dir.
Gaming Industry Association
Early last year the Gaming Advisory Council (GAC) created a subcommittee to study and make recommendations on how to streamline the amended license application process for changes in ownership to a gambling and liquor license.
GAC Chairman, John Tooke (owner of the Golden Spur in Miles City and current President of the Gaming Industry Association) appointed Tim Carson, Steve Morris and Rep. Pat Noonan to the subcommittee. At the first meeting of the Amended Application Subcommittee, Tim Carson was selected to the chair.
The subcommittee heard testimony from Mark Staples, representing the Montana Tavern Association, Ronda Wiggers, representing the Montana Coin Machine Operators Association and yours truly, representing the GIA.
All three associations voiced the same concerns: certain types of changes to either a gambling or liquor license should not essentially require an entire reapplication process for the license. Basically, only information associated with the change in the license should be needed.
The subcommittee recommended that both the Liquor Control and Gambling Control Divisions look at streamlining the process for instances where there was a divorce among licensed owners, a death of a licensed owner and the gifting of ownership interest from one owner to another existing owner.
After the meeting, both Gambling Control and the Department of Revenue (liquor) went back and acted on the recommendations of the subcommittee by creating Form 37. Form 37 is a one-page form with a checklist of items that need to be attached to the form when one of the previously three mentioned scenarios occurs.
Now, with Form 37, you submit the form along with the supporting documentation rather than having to submit a 19-page application with a whole lot of documentary information. This represents a significant reduction in compliance costs to a licensed owner when minor changes are made and, incidentally, should yield similar cost reductions for licensing agencies.
Subsequently, the GAC met and recommended adoption of the Form 37. The GAC also extended the work of the subcommittee to deal with other situations associated with a license where an abbreviated amended application process would be warranted.
The subcommittee met again and made additional recommendations based upon testimony of three industry groups – Montana Tavern Association, Montana Coin Machine Operators Association and GIA.
The three new scenarios identified are: change in ownership among existing owners, an owner dropping off the license, and a change in business entity (e.g. corporation to limited liability company [LLC]).
The subcommittee also agreed to look later at the scenario of adding an owner to an existing license when all other factors stay the same, no change in location or business entity type.
Subsequently, the full GAC agreed with the subcommittees recommendations. After, dealing with the three new license amendment scenarios, the subcommittee will take up potential new license change scenarios.
None of these changes could have occurred had not the GAC supported making the changes and Gambling Control and Liquor Division also concurring with the changes.
In the past, I have written about good government and these changes are a prime example. Licensed owners are going to experience significant reductions in compliance costs and both regulating agencies won't have to review a bunch of unrelated information.
Both Rick Ask, Gambling Control Division Administrator, and Shauna Helfert, Liquor Division Administrator, were more than willing to work at shortening the process. They deserve kudos for brining these new efficiencies to fruition.
I, for one, look forward to continued work with Gambling Control and Revenue to make license applications easier for everyone involved, and I am confident working together we will continue to make these meaningful improvements.