2020 New York Laws
GBS - General Business
Article 41 - Combative Sports
1015 - Conduct of Authorized Professional Combative Sports.

§  1015.  Conduct  of authorized professional combative sports. 1. All
buildings or structures used or  intended  to  be  used  for  conducting
authorized  professional  combative  sports shall be properly ventilated
and provided with fire exits and fire escapes, and in all manner conform
to the laws, ordinances and regulations pertaining to buildings  in  the
city, town or village where situated.
  2.  No person under the age of eighteen years shall participate in any
authorized professional combative sports, and no  person  under  sixteen
years  of  age  shall  be  permitted  to  attend thereat as a spectator,
provided, however, that a  person  under  the  age  of  sixteen  may  be
permitted  to  attend  as  a  spectator  if  accompanied  by a parent or
guardian.
  3. Except as otherwise provided in sections one thousand six  and  one
thousand  seventeen  of  this  article,  at each authorized professional
combative sport, except where conducted solely  for  training  purposes,
there  shall  be  in attendance a duly licensed referee who shall direct
and control the same. There shall also be in  attendance,  except  where
conducted  solely  for training purposes, three duly licensed judges who
shall at the termination of each such authorized professional  combative
sport   render  their  decision.  The  winner  shall  be  determined  in
accordance with a scoring system prescribed by the commission.
  4. Except as otherwise provided in sections one thousand six  and  one
thousand  seventeen  of  this  article,  the  commission shall direct an
employee of the commission to be present at each place where  authorized
professional  combative sports are to be conducted. Such employee of the
commission  shall  ascertain  the  exact  conditions  surrounding   such
authorized professional combative sport and make a written report of the
same  in  the  manner  and  form  prescribed  by  the  commission. Where
authorized professional combative sports are approved to be  held  in  a
state or city owned armory, the provision of the military law in respect
thereto must be complied with.
  5.  Except  as otherwise provided in sections one thousand six and one
thousand seventeen of this article, any ring or combat surface  must  be
inspected  and  approved  by the commission prior to the commencement of
any authorized professional combative sport.
  6. Except as otherwise provided in sections one thousand six  and  one
thousand  seventeen  of this article, all professionals must be examined
by a physician designated by the commission before entering the ring  or
combat  surface  and each such physician shall immediately file with the
commission a written report of such examination. The cost  of  any  such
examination,  as  prescribed  by  a  schedule of fees established by the
commission, shall be paid by the corporation conducting  the  authorized
professional  combative sport to the commission. It shall be the duty of
every  person  or  corporation  licensed  to   conduct   an   authorized
professional  combative sport, to have in attendance at every authorized
professional combative sport, at least one physician designated  by  the
commission  as  the  rules shall provide. The commission may establish a
schedule of fees to be paid by the licensee to cover the  cost  of  such
attendance.
  7. The physician shall terminate any authorized professional combative
sport  if in the opinion of such physician any professional has received
severe punishment or is in danger of serious  physical  injury.  In  the
event  of  any serious physical injury, such physician shall immediately
render any emergency treatment necessary, recommend further treatment or
hospitalization if required, and fully report the entire matter  to  the
commission  within  twenty-four  hours  and  if  necessary, subsequently
thereafter.  Such  physician  may  also   require   that   the   injured
professional  and  his  or  her  manager  remain  in  the ring or on the

premises or report to a hospital after the contest for  such  period  of
time  as such physician deems advisable. Any professional licensed under
this article rendered unconscious or suffering head trauma as determined
by  the  attending  physician  shall  be  immediately  examined  by  the
attending  commission  physician  and  shall  be  required  to   undergo
neurological  examinations by a neurologist including but not limited to
magnetic resonance imaging or medically equivalent procedure.
  8. Such physician may enter the ring at any time during an  authorized
professional  combative  sport  and may terminate the match if in his or
her opinion the same  is  necessary  to  prevent  severe  punishment  or
serious physical injury to a professional.
  9.  Before  a  license  shall be granted to a person or corporation to
conduct an authorized professional combative sport, the applicant  shall
execute  and  file with the secretary of state a bond in an amount to be
determined by the commission, to be approved as to form and  sufficiency
of  sureties  thereon  by  the  secretary  of state, conditioned for the
faithful performance by said  corporation  of  the  provisions  of  this
article  and  the  rules and regulations of the commission, and upon the
filing and approval of said bond the secretary of state shall  issue  to
said  applicant  a  certificate of such filing and approval, which shall
be, by said applicant, filed in the office of the  commission  with  its
application  for license, and no such license shall be issued until such
certificate shall be filed. In case of default in such performance,  the
commission  may  impose  upon the delinquent a penalty in the sum of not
more than one thousand dollars for each offense, which may be  recovered
by  the  attorney-general  in the name of the people of the state of New
York in the same manner as other penalties are  recovered  by  law;  any
amount so recovered shall be paid into the treasury.
  10.  In  addition  to  the  bond  required by subdivision nine of this
section,  each  applicant  for  a  license  to  conduct  an   authorized
professional  combative  sport shall execute and file with the secretary
of state a bond in an amount to be determined by the  commission  to  be
approved as to form and sufficiency of sureties thereon by the secretary
of state, conditioned for and guaranteeing the payment of professionals'
and  professional wrestlers' purses, salaries of club employees licensed
by the commission, and the legitimate expenses of printing  tickets  and
all advertising material.
  11.  All persons, parties or corporations having licenses as promoters
or who are licensed in accordance with section one thousand seventeen of
this article shall continuously provide accident insurance or such other
form of financial guarantee deemed acceptable by the commission, for the
protection  of  licensed  professionals  and   professional   wrestlers,
appearing  in  authorized  professional  combative  sports  or wrestling
exhibitions.  Such  accident  insurance  or  financial  guarantee  shall
provide coverage to the licensed professional for: medical, surgical and
hospital  care,  with  a  minimum  limit  of  fifty thousand dollars for
injuries sustained while participating in any program operated under the
control of such licensed promoter and for a payment  of  fifty  thousand
dollars  to  the  estate  of  any  deceased  athlete where such death is
occasioned by injuries received in this state during  the  course  of  a
program  in  which  such  licensed professional or professional wrestler
participated under the promotion or control of  any  licensed  promoter;
and,  medical,  surgical  and  hospital care with a minimum limit of one
million dollars for the treatment of  a  life-threatening  brain  injury
sustained  in  a  program  operated  under  the control of such licensed
promoter,  where  an  identifiable,  causal  link  exists  between   the
professional   licensee's   participation   in   such  program  and  the
life-threatening brain injury. Where applicable, professional  licensees

shall be afforded the option to supplement the premiums for the accident
insurance  or  financial  guarantee  to increase the coverage beyond the
minimum limits required by this subdivision.  The  commission  may  from
time  to  time,  promulgate  regulations  to  adjust  the amount of such
minimum limits. The failure to provide such insurance as is required  by
this  subdivision shall be cause for the suspension or the revocation of
the license of such defaulting entity.
  12. (a) Every individual, corporation, association or club holding any
professional or amateur  combative  sport,  including  any  professional
wrestling  match or exhibition, for which an admission fee is charged or
received, shall notify the athletic commission  at  least  ten  days  in
advance  of the holding of such contest. All tickets of admission to any
such professional or amateur combative sport or  professional  wrestling
match  or exhibition shall be procured from a printer duly authorized by
the state athletic commission to  print  such  tickets  and  shall  bear
clearly upon the face thereof the purchase price and location of same.
  (b) Pursuant to direction by the commissioner of taxation and finance,
employees  or  officers  of  the  commission  shall act as agents of the
commissioner of taxation and finance  to  collect  the  tax  imposed  by
article  nineteen  of the tax law. The athletic commission shall provide
the commissioner of taxation  and  finance  with  such  information  and
technical  assistance  as may be necessary for the proper administration
of such tax.