This board was created in 1973 (Chapter 346) to consolidate responsibility for the licensing and regulation of racing and wagering activities that had formerly been exercised by five separate commissions. A State Racing Commission, consisting of three gubernatorial appointees, was created in 1926 (Chapter 440) to issue or deny annual licenses to corporations conducting horse races and steeplechases. In 1940 (Chapter 254) this commission was transferred to the Department of State and granted additional powers to appoint stewards for race meetings and to issue licenses for and regulate pari-mutuel betting. By the same year, a State Harness Racing Commission, consisting of three gubernatorial appointees, was placed in charge of a new division in the Department of State and given regulatory responsibilities for harness racing similar to those of the State Racing Commission for other racing. Two laws enacted in 1970 further expanded the Department of State's responsibility for regulating racing and wagering. A State Quarter Horse Racing Commission was granted jurisdiction over pari-mutuel quarter horse racing activities (Chapter 1023), and a State Off-track Pari-Mutuel Betting Commission governed the operation of an off-track betting system (Chapter 143). In 1973 these four commissions, along with the State Lottery Commission from the Department of Taxation and Finance, were consolidated under the newly created State Racing and Wagering Board, with the original commissions remaining as advisory bodies to the board in their respective areas of jurisdiction. In 1976 (Chapter 960), the State Bingo Control Commission, formerly in the Department of State, was transferred to the board and the board's authority over wagering was expanded to include all bingo games or other games of chance held by approved nonprofit corporations. In that same year, however, responsibility for the State Lottery was removed from the board and reassigned to the Division of the Lottery in the Department of Taxation and Finance (Chapter 92). The Racing and Wagering Board consists of three members appointed by the governor, and one of the members is designated board chairperson and chief executive officer. In 1993, the board was given the authority to regulate Class III Indian gaming in the State pursuant to compacts entered into between the State of New York and the Oneida Indian Nation of New York and the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe.
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The State Racing and Wagering Board regulates and supervises all the State's horse-racing activities and all pari-mutuel betting activities, including the State's six regional off-track betting corporations. The board collects fines and penalties for racing infractions and conducts drug tests at all tracks in the State to determine the presence of drugs in race horses. The board also monitors the conduct of bingo and other games of chance by authorized nonprofit organizations to ensure compliance with existing laws and regulations.
