Senate Bill No. 566
(By Senators Kessler, Unger, Yoder, Jenkins and Hunter)
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[Introduced February 4, 2008; referred to the Committee on
Agriculture; and then to the Committee on the Judiciary.]
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A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by
adding thereto a new section, designated §61-8-19c, relating
to making it a felony to wager at animal fighting ventures;
making it a felony to conduct, finance, manage, supervise, own
or lease any part of an animal fighting venture or the
premises on which it takes place with knowledge that wagering
is occurring; and providing criminal penalty.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended
by adding thereto a new section, designated §61-8-19c, to read as
follows:
ARTICLE 8. CRIMES AGAINST CHASTITY, MORALITY AND DECENCY.
§61-8-19c. Wagering at animal fighting prohibited; penalty.
(a) It is unlawful for any person to bet or wager money or any
other thing of value in any location or place where an animal
fighting venture occurs.
(b) It is unlawful for any person to conduct, finance, manage, supervise, direct, lease or own all or a part of a business or
premises involving betting or wagering on an animal fighting
venture with the knowledge that the betting or wagering is
occurring.
(b) Any person who violates the provisions of this section is
guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not
less than one thousand dollars and not more than five thousand
dollars, or confined in a state correctional facility not less than
one year, or both fined and confined.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to make wagering at animal
fighting ventures and conducting, financing, managing, supervising,
owning or leasing any part of an animal fighting venture or the
premises on which it takes place with knowledge that wagering is
occurring a felony.
§61-8-19c is new; therefore, strike-throughs and underscoring
have been omitted.