2023 New York Laws
GBS - General Business
Article 41 - Combative Sports
1017 - Professional Wrestling; Promoters.

§ 1017. Professional wrestling; promoters. 1. For the purposes of this
article,  "professional  wrestling"  shall  mean  an  activity  in which
participants  struggle  hand-in-hand  primarily  for  the   purpose   of
providing entertainment to spectators and which does not comprise a bona
fide athletic contest or competition.
2.  Every  person,  partnership  or  corporation promoting one or more
professional wrestling exhibitions in this state shall  be  required  to
obtain from the commission an annual license to conduct such exhibitions
subject  to  terms and conditions promulgated by the commission pursuant
to rule and consistent with the applicable provisions of  this  article.
Each  applicant  shall  pay  an annual fee established by the commission
pursuant to rule.
3. A licensed promoter of a professional wrestling exhibition  in  the
state  shall notify the athletic commission at least ten days in advance
of the holding of the exhibition. Each such promoter shall  execute  and
file  with  the  comptroller  a  bond  in an amount not less than twenty
thousand dollars to be approved as to form and sufficiency  of  sureties
thereon by the comptroller, conditioned for and guaranteeing the payment
of  professional  wrestler's purses, salaries of club employees licensed
by the commission, the legitimate expenses of printing tickets  and  all
advertising  material,  payments  to  sponsoring  organizations, and the
applicable state and local sales and compensating use tax.
4. A licensed promoter of a professional  wrestling  exhibition  shall
provide  for  a licensed physician to be present at each exhibition, and
such physician shall examine each wrestler prior  to  each  performance,
and   each  such  pre-performance  examination  shall  be  conducted  in
accordance with regulations prescribed by the commission.
5. Every licensed promoter of professional wrestling who promotes  six
or  more  exhibitions in the state in a calendar year must have in place
an anti-drug plan and file with the commission a  written  copy  of  the
plan.    Each  such plan shall address the use of a controlled substance
defined in article thirty-three of the public health law, and such  plan
shall at minimum provide for the following:
  (a)  dissemination  of educational materials to professional wrestlers
who perform for any such promoter including a list of  prohibited  drugs
and available rehabilitation services; and
  (b)  a  referral procedure to permit any such professional wrestler to
obtain rehabilitation services.