Iowa Admin. Code r. 491-11.7

Current through Regsiter Vol. 46, No. 26, June 12, 2024

Rule 491-11.7 - Table game requirements

(1) Devices that determine or affect the outcome of wagers or are used in the collection of wagers on table games are subject to the requirements of rule 491-11.4 (99F) and subrule 11.5(3). Additionally, software used in the conduct of table games is subject to the following requirements:

a. Removable storage media shall be sealed with tamper-evident tape by a commission representative prior to implementation.

b. Random number generators shall conform to the requirements of subrule 11.10(2); however, outcomes generated from the random number generator results may be dependent on previous outcomes in the following circumstances:

(1) When simulating live card games where cards used are not reused until the next hand is dealt, or until the multiplayer electronic device performs a shuffle of the simulated cards.

(2) When the random number generator is used in the award of a bonus outcome approved in accordance with subrule 11.5(3). Bonus outcomes that are statistically dependent must employ technology solutions to ensure that continuation from the last outcome is maintained in the event of any malfunction.

(2) Wagers.

a. All wagers at table games shall be made by placing gaming chips or coins on the appropriate areas of the layout or by making a cashless wager using an approved wagering device.

b. Information pertaining to the minimum and maximum allowed at the table shall be posted on the game.

c. A facility may impose an aggregate payout limit on a per round basis for approved table game odds payouts that are greater than 50 to 1. If imposed, aggregate limits shall be at least the highest available award at the posted minimum bet, or $25,000, whichever amount is greater, and the amount shall be posted on the game. When applying the aggregate payout limit to multiple players' wins, facilities shall calculate each player's win as a pro rata share of the aggregate payout limit. Alternate aggregate or individual player payout limits may be established, as determined by the administrator.

d. Any other fee collected to participate in a table game shall be subject to the wagering tax pursuant to Iowa Code section 99F.11.

(3) Craps.

a. Wagers must be made before the dice are thrown. "Call bets," or the calling out of bets between the time the dice leave the shooter's hand and the time the dice come to rest, not accompanied by the placement of gaming chips, are not allowed. A wager made on any bet may be removed or reduced at any time prior to a roll that decides the outcome of such wager unless the wager is a "Pass" or "Come" bet and a point has been established with respect to such bet or the wager is a proposition bet contingent on multiple rolls.

b. The shooter shall make a "Pass" or "Don't Pass" bet and shall handle the two selected dice with one hand before throwing the dice in a simultaneous manner.

c. Each die used shall be transparent.

(4) Twenty-one.

a. Before the first card is dealt for each round of play, each player shall make a wager against the dealer. Once the first card of any hand has been dealt by the dealer, no player shall handle, remove, or alter any wagers that have been made until a decision has been rendered and implemented with respect to that wager. Once a wager on the insurance line, a wager to double down, or a wager to split pairs has been made and confirmed by the dealer, no player shall handle, remove, or alter the wagers until a decision has been rendered and implemented with respect to that wager, except as explicitly permitted. A facility or licensee shall not permit any player to engage in conduct that violates this paragraph.

b. At the conclusion of a round of play, all cards still remaining on the layout shall be picked up by the dealer in a prescribed order and in such a way that they can be readily arranged to indicate each player's hand in case of question or dispute. The dealer shall pick up the cards beginning with those of the player to the far right and moving counterclockwise around the table. The dealer's hand will be the last hand collected. The cards will then be placed on top of the discard pile. No player or spectator shall remove or alter any cards used to game at twenty-one or be permitted to do so by a casino employee.

c. Each player at the table shall be responsible for correctly computing the point count of the player's hand. No player shall rely on the point counts announced by the dealer without checking the accuracy of such announcement.

(5) Roulette.

a. No person at a roulette table shall be issued or permitted to game with nonvalue gaming chips that are identical in color and design to value gaming chips or to nonvalue gaming chips being used by another person at that same table.

b. Each player shall be responsible for the correct positioning of the player's wager on the roulette layout, regardless of whether the player is assisted by the dealer. Each player must ensure that any instructions the player gives to the dealer regarding the placement of the player's wager are correctly carried out.

c. Each wager shall be settled strictly in accordance with its position on the layout when the ball falls to rest in a compartment of the wheel.

(6) Big six.

a. Wagers must be made before the spin of the wheel.

b. Each player shall be responsible for the correct positioning of the player's wager on the layout regardless of whether that player is assisted by the dealer.

c. The wheel may be spun in either direction, but must complete at least three revolutions to be considered a valid spin.

d. Each wager shall be settled strictly in accordance with its position on the layout when the wheel stops with the winning indicator in a compartment of the wheel. In accordance with subrule 11.4(3), the rules shall include procedures addressing wheel stops that land between two compartments of the wheel. These procedures shall be posted at the game.

(7) Poker.

a. When a facility conducts poker with an imprest dealer gaming chip bank, the rules in 491-Chapter 12 for closing and distributing or removing gaming chips to or from gaming tables do not apply. The entire amount of the table rake is subject to the wagering tax pursuant to Iowa Code section 99F.11. Proposals for imprest dealer gaming chip banks must be submitted in writing and approved by a commission representative prior to use and must include, but not be limited to, controls to regularly monitor, investigate, and report table bank variances.

b. All games shall be played according to table stakes game rules as follows:

(1) Only gaming chips or coins on the table at the start of a deal shall be in play for that pot.

(2) Concealed gaming chips or coins shall not play.

(3) A player with gaming chips may add additional gaming chips between deals, provided that the player complies with any minimum buy-in requirement.

(4) A player is never obliged to drop out of contention because of insufficient gaming chips to call the full amount of a bet, but may call for the amount of gaming chips the player has on the table. The excess part of the bet made by other players is either returned to the players or used to form a side pot.

c. Each player in a poker game is required to act only in the player's own best interest. The facility has the responsibility of ensuring that any behavior designed to assist one player over another is prohibited. The facility may prohibit any two players from playing in the same game.

d. Poker games where winning wagers are paid by the facility according to specific payout odds or pay tables are permitted.

e. The facility shall comply with and receive approval pursuant to subrule 11.4(3) for each type of poker game offered.

f. The facility may elect to offer a jackpot award generated from pot contributions at a table or group of tables for predesignated high-value poker hands, subject to the following requirements:

(1) Approval of the jackpot award rules must be obtained from a commission representative prior to play.

(2) Jackpot award rules and jackpot award amounts shall be posted in a conspicuous location within the poker room. Jackpot award amounts shall be updated no less than once per day.

(3) The facility shall divide pot contributions for any single qualifying award circumstance or event into no more than three jackpot award pools.

(4) The jackpot award pool containing the highest monetary value amount shall be the amount posted in the poker room and awarded to a qualifying player or players.

(5) If additional jackpot award pools are in use, the award pool containing the highest monetary value shall be used to seed the primary jackpot award pool.

(6) All moneys collected as pot contributions to a jackpot award payout shall be distributed in their entirety to the players; no facility shall charge an administration fee for distribution of a jackpot award.

(8) Baccarat. Before the first card is dealt for each round of play, each player is permitted to make a wager on the Banker's Hand, Player's Hand, Tie Bet, and any proposition bet if offered. All wagers shall be made by placing gaming chips on the appropriate areas of the layout. Once the first card has been dealt by the dealer, no player shall handle, remove, or alter any wagers that have been made until a decision has been rendered and implemented with respect to that wager.

(9) Preverified cards. Cards that are verified prior to arrival at the facility may be approved by the administrator for use in table games authorized by this rule. Preverified cards may be shuffled or sequenced according to the licensee's specifications. Each manufacturer of preverified cards shall request approval of its cards, pursuant to subrule 11.4(1), and is subject to the following additional requirements:

a. Each device used to verify or automate the randomization of the cards before they are shipped to a licensee shall be certified by a commission-designated independent testing facility.

b. The manufacturer shall develop and submit to the administrator a process for producing, shuffling, and packaging preverified cards that includes the following:

(1) A visual inspection of the back of each card, ensuring the cards are not flawed or marked in any way that might compromise the integrity of the gambling game.

(2) A verification that each package of cards contains the correct number of suits and cards in accordance with the commission-approved rules of the game for the game with which the package of cards is intended for use.

(3) Insertion of the cards in a package with a tamper-evident seal that bears conspicuous indication if the package has been opened. The exterior of the package shall indicate:

1. The total number of decks contained within the package.

2. The commission-authorized game with which the cards are intended for use.

3. The color of the cards within the package.

(4) Generation of a receipt in the package or a label on the sealed package to include the following information:

1. The total number of cards and decks contained within the package.

2. The date and time the cards were shuffled, verified and packaged.

3. Information sufficient to determine the specific details regarding any persons or devices involved in the production, verification or packaging of the cards.

(10) Wide area progressive table game systems. A wide area progressive table game system is a method of linking table game progressives, approved in accordance with subrule 11.5(3), by a secured data communication as part of a network that connects participating facilities. The purpose of a wide area progressive table game system is to offer a common progressive jackpot at all participating locations within Iowa or in multiple states. The operation of the wide area progressive table game system (multilink) is permitted, subject to the following conditions:

a. The provider of the multilink (provider) shall be an entity licensed as a manufacturer, a distributor, or an operator of gambling games within the state of Iowa or be the qualified parent company of an operator within the state of Iowa. No entity shall be licensed for the sole purpose of providing a multilink.

b. Prior to operation of a multilink, the provider shall submit to the administrator for review and approval information sufficient to determine the integrity and security of the multilink. The information must include, but is not limited to, the following:

(1) Central system site location, specifications, and operational procedures. Central site facilities must be monitored whenever the multilink is operational at any participatory licensee.

(2) Encryption and method of secured communication over the multilink and between facilities.

(3) Method and process for obtaining and updating contribution data from table games on the multilink.

(4) Jackpot contribution rates, including information sufficient to determine contributions to the jackpot are consistent across all entities participating in the multilink. Any subsequent changes to the contribution rate of a multilink jackpot must be submitted to the administrator for review and approval.

(5) Jackpot verification procedures.

c. Prior to inclusion in a multilink, a licensee shall submit to a gaming representative for review and approval information sufficient to determine the integrity of the multilink processes. The information must include, but is not limited to, the following:

(1) Rules of the game, in accordance with subrule 11.4(3).

(2) Controls and procedures which govern the process of determining and verifying jackpots on a multilinked table game.

(3) The process to report jackpots to the multilink provider.

(4) The process to pay the jackpot to the winner or winners.

d. The provider of the multilink shall, upon request, supply reports and information to the administrator which detail the contributions and economic activity of the system, subject to the following requirements:

(1) Aggregate and detail reports that show both the economic activity of the entire multilink, as well as details of each table game on the multilink.

(2) Upon invoicing a facility, details regarding each machine at the facility and each table game's contribution to the multilink for the period of the invoice shall be supplied, as well as any other details required by the administrator.

e. Concurrent jackpots which occur before the multilink jackpot meters show reset and updated jackpot amounts will be deemed to have occurred simultaneously. Each winner shall receive the full amount shown on the system jackpot meter.

f. The provider must suspend play on the multilink if a communication failure of the system cannot be corrected within 24 consecutive hours.

g. A meter that shows the amount of the jackpot must be conspicuously displayed at the table games to which the jackpot applies. Jackpot meters may show amounts that differ from the actual system jackpot, due to delays in communication between sites and the central system, but meters shall not display an incorrect amount for an awarded jackpot.

h. In calculating adjusted gross receipts, a facility may deduct only its pro rata share of the present value of any system jackpots awarded. Such deduction shall be listed on the detailed accounting records supplied by the provider. A facility's pro rata share is based on the amount wagered in conjunction with the rules for that table game progressive from that facility's table games on the multilink compared to the total amount wagered in conjunction with the rules for that table game progressive on the whole system for the time period between awarded jackpots.

i. In the event a facility ceases operations and a progressive jackpot is awarded subsequent to the last day of the final month of operation, the facility may not file an amended wagering tax submission or make a claim for a wagering tax refund based on its contributions to that particular progressive prize pool.

j. Any jackpot on the multilink shall be paid immediately upon verification of the jackpot. The responsibility for the immediate payment rests with the facility in which the jackpot is awarded, but is subject to reimbursement requirements from the provider, in accordance with the collection procedures agreed to between the provider and the facility.

k. A reserve shall be established and maintained by the provider in an amount not less than the present value of all multilink jackpots offered by the provider and the present value of one additional reset (start amount) for each multilink jackpot offered by the provider.

(1) Upon becoming aware of an event of noncompliance with the terms of the reserve requirement mandated by this paragraph, the provider must immediately notify the administrator.

(2) On a quarterly basis, the provider must deliver to the administrator a calculation of system reserves required under this paragraph. The calculation shall come with a certification of financial compliance signed by a duly authorized financial officer of the provider, on a form prescribed by the administrator, validating the calculation.

l. Multilinks to be offered in conjunction with jurisdictions in other states within the United States are permitted. Multistate multilinks are subject to the requirements of this subrule; in addition, any multistate plans or controls are subject to administrator review and approval.

Iowa Admin. Code r. 491-11.7

ARC 9987B, lAB 2/8/12, effective 3/14/12

Amended by IAB February 1, 2017/Volume XXXIX, Number 16, effective 3/8/2017

Amended by IAB January 31, 2018/Volume XL, Number 16, effective 3/7/2018

Amended by IAB February 10, 2021/Volume XLIII, Number 17, effective 3/17/2021

Amended by IAB February 9, 2022/Volume XLIV, Number 16, effective 3/16/2022

Amended by IAB February 22, 2023/Volume XLV, Number 17, effective 3/29/2023