About the National Racing Compact
Licensing Criteria
The National Racing Compact has established the following criteria to determine eligibility for the National Racing License. The standards are comparable to the strictest requirements of all participating states. The criteria are intended to be clear and objective. The applicant should be able to read the criteria and easily decide whether he or she qualifies for a national racing license.
General Licensing Standards
The Compact will not complete the processing of an application for a national racing license in any category of participants in live racing if it finds that issuance of a license to the applicant would not be in the best interests of, or would adversely affect the honesty and integrity of, the Compact, the national racing license, the states that are members of the Compact, the racing industry, or the sport of racing, or that the applicant:
1. Criminal Record
Has in any jurisdiction at any time pleaded guilty or nolo contendere to, been found guilty or been convicted of, forfeited bail or been fined for, or currently has a criminal indictment or complaint pending for:
- a) any crime involving race-fixing or any other effort to pre-determine the outcome of a race, bookmaking, touting, pool-selling, bet solicitation, or other similar conduct;
- b) any other felony; or
- c) more than two (2) misdemeanors, with the exception of traffic offenses, for which the date of conviction or other disposition of the most recent misdemeanor was less than five (5) years preceding the date of submission of his or her application to the Compact;
2. Racing-Related Sanctions
- a) Has at any time been found by any jurisdiction or by the Compact to have violated any rule or regulation pertaining to race-fixing or any other effort to pre-determine the outcome of a race, bookmaking, touting, pool-selling, bet solicitation or other similar conduct;
- b) Has at any time applied for and been denied a racing-related license by any jurisdiction or by the Compact, unless that license later was granted by that jurisdiction or by the Compact;
- c) Is not currently in good standing and welcome to apply or reapply with the Compact or with the agency or other entity regulating racing in any jurisdiction for any reason, including the current suspension or revocation of any racing-related license by the Compact or by any jurisdiction;
Unless the Compact's Application Review Committee reviews the applicant's history of racing- related sanctions and recommends completion of the licensing process, the Compact will not complete the processing of an application for a National Racing License in any category for an applicant who:
- i) Has at any time been the subject of any racing-related suspension or revocation by any jurisdiction or by the Compact for a continuous period of one (1) year or more, or of a fine of $5,000 or more; or
- ii) Has, within the three (3) years preceding the date of submission of his or her application to the Compact, been the subject of cumulative racing-related racing suspensions or revocations by any jurisdiction or by the Compact totaling 60 days or more, or cumulative racing-related fines or penalties totaling $2,000 or more, except that violations that involve a suspension or revocation of a license for 10 days or less and/or a fine of $250 or less shall not count towards this cumulative total;
3. Character and/or Integrity Concerns
- a) Has consorted with, currently consorts with, or has an ownership, partnership or other commercial interest with or business ties to any person who is or has been involved with, or has in any jurisdiction at any time pleaded guilty or nolo contendere to, been found guilty or been convicted of, forfeited bail or been fined for, or currently has a criminal indictment or complaint pending for, illegal gambling, extortion, racketeering involving organized crime, fraud, misrepresentation, race-fixing or any other effort to pre-determine the outcome of a race, bookmaking, touting, pool-selling, bet solicitation, or other similar conduct, or its equivalent, in any jurisdiction;
- b) Has engaged or is engaging in conduct that involves cruelty to animals or that has resulted in the applicant having a bad reputation for honesty, truth or veracity;
- c) Is using, or within the five (5) years preceding the date of submission of his or her application to the Compact has used, any illegal drug, narcotic or controlled substance, or is engaging, or within the five (5) years preceding the date of submission of his or her application to the Compact has engaged, in drug, narcotic or controlled substance abuse or the excessive use of alcohol;
- d) Has knowingly made a false statement of a material fact in his or her application to the Compact, or has knowingly failed to disclose any information requested by the Compact; or
- e) Is not otherwise of good moral character;
4. Certain Debts
Has defaulted in the payment of any financial obligation, including the payment of taxes, due to any jurisdiction, has defaulted on the payment of any racing-related financial obligation, is four (4) or more months in arrears in any child support that is ordered or approved by a court in any jurisdiction, or otherwise is determined by the Compact to be financially irresponsible;
5. Compact Rules and Regulations
Has knowingly failed to comply with the provisions of the rules and regulations of the Compact; or
6. Other
Has engaged in any other conduct that would result in denial of a license or refusal to renew a license under the licensing standards or criteria of any jurisdiction that is a member of the Compact; provided, however, that the Compact shall not consider any such standards or criteria during its processing of the applicant’s application unless, before the license is issued or renewed by the Compact, the jurisdiction notifies the Compact of the factual and legal bases for its conclusion that it would deny the applicant’s application for a license or would refuse to renew the applicant’s license in that jurisdiction.
Licensing Standards Specific to Horse Owners
The Compact shall not complete the processing of an application for a national racing license as a horse owner unless it finds that the applicant has met the general licensing standards set forth above and:
- a) Is at least eighteen (18) years of age; and
- b) Is qualified to perform the duties and functions associated with an owner’s license, including that the applicant:
- 1. Owns or has under lease a horse eligible to race in one or more jurisdictions; and
- 2. Has presented satisfactory evidence that he or she currently is covered by workers’ compensation insurance if workers’ compensation insurance is required for owners by his or her jurisdiction of residence, or the equivalent self-insurance if self-insurance is permitted by that jurisdiction, in the amount required by that jurisdiction.
Licensing Standards Specific to Horse Trainers
The Compact shall not complete the processing of an application for a national racing license as a horse trainer unless it finds that the applicant has met the general licensing standards set forth above and:
- a) Is at least eighteen (18) years of age; and
- b) Is qualified to perform the duties and functions associated with a trainer’s license, including that the applicant:
- 1. Has presented satisfactory evidence that he or she currently is covered by workers’ compensation insurance (i) in the highest amount, if any, required for horse trainers by any of the Compact states in which the applicant has indicated on the application that he or she plans to race, or (ii) if the applicant has not indicated on the application in which of the Compact states he or she plans to race, then in the highest amount, if any, required for horse trainers by any of the Compact states, or (iii) self-insurance in the required amount, if self-insurance is permitted by all of the states included in (i) or (ii), as applicable;
- 2. Has demonstrated his or her experience and competence by providing satisfactory evidence that he or she was licensed as a trainer for the preceding three years in a racing jurisdiction in the United States and that, during those three years, he or she participated as a trainer in at least 100 races or, in the judgment of the Compact, the equivalent thereof; provided, that for the purposes of this subparagraph, a maximum of one of the required three years of experience may be as an assistant trainer; and
- c) For a harness trainer, is currently licensed by and is the holder of a General (G) trainer’s license issued by the United States Trotting Association.
- d) The applicant has undergone a licensing background investigation, or will undergo one, at least equal to that of the most rigorous harness racing jurisdiction.
Licensing Standards Specific to Jockeys
The Compact shall not complete the processing of an application for a national racing license as a jockey unless it finds that the applicant has met the general licensing standards set forth in above and:
- a) Is at least eighteen (18) years of age; and
- b) Is qualified to perform the duties and functions associated with a jockey’s license, including that the applicant:
- 1. Has demonstrated his or her experience and competence by providing satisfactory evidence that he or she was licensed as a jockey for the preceding three years in a racing jurisdiction in the United States and that, during those three years, he or she participated as a jockey in at least 100 races or, in the judgment of the Compact, the equivalent thereof; provided, that for the purposes of this subparagraph, a maximum of one year of the required three years of experience may be as an apprentice jockey; and
- 2. Presents satisfactory evidence to the Compact from a licensed optometrist or ophthalmologist of an eye examination indicating that the applicant has for one eye, corrected, a minimum visual acuity of 20/20.
Licensing Standards Specific to Harness Drivers
The Compact shall not complete the processing of an application for a national racing license as a harness driver unless it finds that the applicant has met the general licensing standards set forth above and:
- a) Is at least eighteen (18) years of age; and
- b) Is qualified to perform the duties and functions associated with a harness driver’s license, including that the applicant:
- 1. Has demonstrated his or her experience and competence by providing satisfactory evidence that during the preceding three years, he or she participated as a harness driver in at least 100 races or, in the judgment of the Compact, the equivalent thereof;
- 2. Is currently licensed by and is the holder of a full (A) driver’s license issued by the United States Trotting Association; and
- 3. Presents satisfactory evidence to the Compact from a licensed optometrist or ophthalmologist of an eye examination indicating a minimum of 20/40 corrected vision in both eyes, or if one eye is blind, at least 20/30 corrected vision in the other eye.
- c) The applicant has undergone a licensing background investigation, or will undergo one, at least equal to that of the most rigorous harness racing jurisdiction.