<?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>
<section article="gbr" article_name="Business Regulation" number="11-518" title_number="11" title_name="Horse Racing" subtitle_number="5" subtitle_name="Thoroughbred Racing">
  <level label="a">
    <text>In this section, “open purse” means any purse, except for one offered in a race funded by the Maryland–Bred Race Fund.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <text>The Commission may direct a deduction from open purse money of 0.25% of all mutuel pools to be paid to the Maryland Backstretch Employees Pension Fund.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <text>Subject to the approval of the Commission, the licensees and an organization that represents a majority of the owners and trainers in the State shall agree on a formula for distributing open purse money.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="d">
    <text>The formula shall distribute approximately 85% of the open purse money to the overnight races of the current year and approximately 15%, but not more than 17%, to the stakes races of the current year.</text>
  </level>
  <level label="e">
    <text>The organization that represents a majority of the owners and trainers in the State shall set an amount not less than 1% but not more than 3% that shall be deducted from all open purses and paid to the organization.</text>
  </level>
</section>
