West Virginia Code 29-22B-502 – General qualifications for all types of limited video lottery licenses
(a) No limited video lottery license or license renewal may be granted unless the Lottery Commission has determined that the applicant satisfies all of the following qualifications:
Terms Used In West Virginia Code 29-22B-502
- Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Offense: includes every act or omission for which a fine, forfeiture, or punishment is imposed by law. See West Virginia Code 2-2-10
- State: when applied to a part of the United States and not restricted by the context, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories, and the words "United States" also include the said district and territories. See West Virginia Code 2-2-10
- video lottery license: means authorization granted by the commission pursuant to this article to a person permitting that person to engage in the activity for which the license was issued. See West Virginia Code 29-22B-314
(1) The applicant is a person of good character, honesty, and integrity;
(2) The applicant is a person whose background, criminal record, if any, reputation, habits, and associations, do not threaten to (A) compromise the public interest of the citizens of the state, (B) weaken the effective regulation and control of video gaming, (C) breach the security and integrity of the lottery, or (D) introduce corrupt, unfair, or illegal practices, methods, and activities into the operation of video gaming or the business or financial transactions incidental to the operation of video gaming;
(3) The applicant has not been convicted of any violation of §29-22B-101 et seq., §19-23-1 et seq., §29-22-1 et seq., §29-22A-1 et seq., §29-25-1 et seq. of this code, or any felony related to theft, bribery, or gambling in this or in any other state or foreign country: Provided, That the Lottery Commission shall apply §29-22B-502(b) and §29-22B-502(c) of this code in determining whether an applicant’s prior criminal convictions bear a rational nexus to the license being sought.
(4) The applicant has disclosed to the Lottery Commission the identity of each person who has control of the applicant, as control is described in § 29-22B-507 of this code, and those persons satisfy all qualifications required by this section and any applicable qualifications required by §29-22B-503 through § 29-22B-506 of this code;
(5) The applicant has provided a set of fingerprints and has completed and signed the statement provided for in § 29-22B-602 of this code;
(6) The applicant has furnished all information, including financial data and documents, certifications, consents, waivers, individual history forms, and other materials requested by the Lottery Commission for purposes of determining qualifications for a license.
(b) The Lottery Commission may not disqualify an applicant from initial licensure because of a prior criminal conviction that remains unreversed unless that conviction is for a crime that bears a rational nexus to the activity requiring licensure. In determining whether a criminal conviction bears a rational nexus to a profession or occupation, the Lottery Commission shall consider at a minimum:
(1) The nature and seriousness of the crime for which the individual was convicted;
(2) The passage of time since the commission of the crime;
(3) The relationship of the crime to the ability, capacity, and fitness required to perform the duties and discharge the responsibilities of the profession or occupation; and
(4) Any evidence of rehabilitation or treatment undertaken by the individual.
(c) Notwithstanding any other provision of this code to the contrary, if an applicant is disqualified from licensure because of a prior criminal conviction, the Lottery Commission shall permit the applicant to apply for initial licensure if:
(1) A period of five years has elapsed from the date of conviction or the date of release from incarceration, whichever is later;
(2) The individual has not been convicted of any other crime during the period of time following the disqualifying offense; and
(3) The conviction was not for an offense of a violent or sexual nature: Provided, That a conviction for an offense of a violent or sexual nature may subject an individual to a longer period of disqualification from licensure, to be determined by the Lottery Commission.
(d) An individual with a criminal record who has not previously applied for licensure may petition the Lottery Commission at any time for a determination of whether the individual’s criminal record will disqualify the individual from obtaining a license. This petition shall include sufficient details about the individual’s criminal record to enable the Lottery Commission to identify the jurisdiction where the conviction occurred, the date of the conviction, and the specific nature of the conviction. The Lottery Commission shall provide the determination within 60 days of receiving the petition from the applicant. The Lottery Commission may charge a fee to recoup its costs for each petition.