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.
Last modified: February 3, 2019