(a) An amateur combative sports association (ACSA) must provide to the Department proof that it is either a non-profit organization chartered by the State of Texas or that it is approved as a non-profit organization under the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code.
(b) An ACSA shall file with the Executive Director rules for conducting the organization's affairs and the conduct of its members. The rules:
  (1) Must include provisions to:
    (A) Establish conditions for membership;
    (B) Provide guidelines for training its members in preparation for a contest;
    (C) Establish a minimum training period before a contest;
    (D) Indicate which class(es) of combative sports the ACSA will conduct;
    (E) Require that all referees participating in events conducted by the ACSA are licensed by the Department; and,
    (F) Either:
      (i) Adopt, as appropriate, rules set out below for boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and muay thai; or,
      (ii) Establish the ACSA's rules for a class or classes of events it will sponsor; and,
  (2) May include provisions to:
    (A) Provide for payment of actual expenses, up to an established maximum, for the contestants who participate in an event; and,
    (B) Allow members of other ACSAs to participate as a visiting member in an event conducted by it without the other ACSA participating in the conducted event, so long as it ascertains that the visiting member is qualified under the rules to be a contestant in the event.
(c) An ACSA may not conduct or participate in any event unless it has received Executive Director's written approval of rules required in subsection (b) of this section.
(d) An ACSA that has adopted rules permitted under subsection (b)(2) of this section must, before it sponsors or participates in any event, submit to the Executive Director a $15,000 surety bond, written by a bonding company authorized to do business in the State of Texas, guaranteeing payment of gross receipts taxes owed for promoted events, which shall remain in effect for four years after the effective cancellation date.
(e) An ACSA shall provide insurance and pay all deductibles for contestants, to cover medical, surgical and hospital care with a minimum limit of $50,000 for injuries sustained while participating in a contest and $100,000 to a contestant's estate if he dies of injuries suffered while participating in a contest. At least ten calendar days before an event the ASCA shall provide to the Department for each event to be conducted, a certificate of insurance showing proper coverage. The ASCA shall supply to those participating in the event the proper information for filing a medical claim.
(f) An ACSA shall ensure that all contestants participating in contests it conducts are amateurs.
(g) An ACSA may not allow any person who has not been a member of the ACSA for at least thirty days to participate as a contestant in any event in which the ACSA participates.
(h) An ACSA conducting an event shall:
  (1) Bear all financial responsibility for the event.
  (2) Provide the Department written notice of all proposed event dates, ticket prices, and participants of the main event, at least 21 days before the proposed event date and obtain written approval from the Department to promote the event prior to advertising or selling tickets.
  (3) Provide two physicians to be assigned by the Department for each event.
  (4) Provide at least one licensed physician to conduct pre-fight physicals. Provide a private area for the physician to perform pre-fight examinations.
  (5) Assure that beverages are only allowed in paper or plastic cups at the event.
  (6) Assure that no alcoholic beverages or illegal drugs are in the dressing room.
  (7) Ensure the safety of the contestants, officials, and spectators.
    (A) There shall be a pre-fight plan and route to remove an injured contestant from the ring and arena. Upon request, the promoter shall inform the Department of these plans. The plan shall include the name and location of a local hospital emergency room.
    (B) A sufficient number of security personnel shall be retained to maintain order.
  (8) Ensure that the rules set forth herein below regarding equipment and gloves that apply to a particular type of event are followed.
  (9) Ensure that each contest is conducted as provided by the ACSA's rules approved by the Department.
  (10) Ensure that each event has the appropriate equipment as described by the ACSA's rules approved by the Department.
  (11) Ensure that all advertising concerning an event to be conducted indicates that it is an amateur event, and includes the name of the ACSA that will conduct the event.
(i) Tickets
  (1) All tickets shall have printed on each half, the price including any service surcharge or handling fee, and the event date.
  (2) Roll tickets with consecutive numbers shall be sold only at the box office on the day of the show.
  (3) If there is no ticket manifest, tickets of different prices shall be printed on different colored ticket stock.
  (4) Tickets shall not be sold for more than the actual capacity of the location where the event is held.
  (5) ACSA's shall hold tickets of every description used for any event for at least 30 days after the event. The tickets shall be kept in separate packages for each event for audit purposes.
(j) An ACSA shall submit to the Department a tax report and a 3% gross receipts tax payment within three business days after an event.

Source Note: The provisions of this §61.48 adopted to be effective February 1, 2006, 31 TexReg 481; amended to be effective March 1, 2008, 33 TexReg 1523; amended to be effective January 1, 2014, 38 TexReg 9505