La. Admin. Code tit. 42 § III-4209

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 6, June 20, 2024

Section III-4209 - Approval of New Electronic Gaming Devices

A. After completing its evaluation of a new EGD, the division shall determine whether the application for approval of the new EGD should be granted. In considering whether a new EGD will be given final approval, the division shall consider whether approval of the new EGD is consistent with this Chapter. The division's approval of an EGD does not constitute certification of the device's safety.

1. Equipment Registration and Approval

a. All EGDs shall be approved by the division or its approved designated gaming laboratory and registered by the division prior to use.

b. The following shall not be used for gaming by any licensee or casino operator without prior written approval of the division:

i. bill acceptors or bill validators;

ii. coin acceptors;

iii. progressive controllers;

iv. signs depicting payout percentages, odds, and rules of the game; and

v. associated gaming equipment as specified in this Chapter.

c. The licensee's, casino operator's or manufacturer's request for approval shall describe with particularity the equipment or device for which the division's approval is requested.

d. The division may request additional information or documentation prior to issuing written approval.

2. Testing

a. The following shall be tested prior to registration or approval for use:

i. all EGDs;

ii. EGD monitoring systems;

iii. any other device or equipment the division deems necessary.

3. Designated Gaming Laboratory

a. The division may employ the services of a designated gaming laboratory to conduct testing.

b. Any new EGD not presently approved by the division shall first meet the approval and testing criteria of the designated gaming laboratory, which shall evaluate and test the product and issue a written opinion to the division of all test results.

c. The licensee, casino operator, manufacturer or supplier shall incur all costs associated with the testing of the product. This may include costs for field test, travel, laboratory test, and other associated costs. Failure on the part of the requesting party to timely pay these costs may be grounds for the denial of the request and cause for administrative action by the division.

d. Recommendations of approval by the designated gaming laboratory with regard to program approval(s) may constitute division approval and may not require separate written approval by the division. These approvals may be subject to additional conditions by the division.

e. In situations wherein the need for specific guidelines and internal controls are required, the division will work in concert with the designated gaming laboratory to develop guidelines, for each licensee and casino operator. Licensees and casino operators shall be required to comply with these guidelines which shall become part of the internal controls. At no time shall an unauthorized program, gaming device, associated equipment or component be installed, stored, possessed, or offered for play by a licensee, casino operator, permittee, its agent, representative, employee or other person in the Louisiana gaming industry.

4. Costs of Testing

a. Registration and approval shall not be issued unless payment for all costs of testing is current.

5. Registration

a. Registration, approval, or the denial of EGDs, or any other device or equipment shall be issued in accordance with these rules.

6. Specifications

a. EGDs shall meet all specifications as required in §4203 and shall meet the following security and audit specifications:

i. be controlled by a microprocessor;

ii. be connected and communicating to an approved on-line EGD monitoring system;

iii. have an internal enclosure for the circuit board which is locked or sealed, or both, prior to and during game play;

iv. be able to continue a game with no loss of data after a power failure;

v. have game data recall for the current game and the previous two games;

vi. have a random selection process that satisfies the 99 percent confidence level using the following tests which shall not be predictable by players:

(a). standard chi-squared;

(b). runs; and

(c). serial correlation;

vii. clearly display applicable rules of play and the payout schedule;

viii. display an accurate representative of each game outcome utilizing:

(a). rotating wheels;

(b). video monitoring; or

(c). any other type of display mechanism that accurately depicts the outcome of the game.

7. Registration Sticker

a. All EGDs shall be registered with the division and shall have a registration sticker affixed on the inside portion of the device. Each licensee and casino operator shall ensure that the registration sticker is properly affixed and is valid. In the event the registration sticker becomes damaged or voided, the licensee or casino operator shall immediately notify the division in writing. The division shall issue a replacement sticker and re-register the device as soon as practical.

8. Location of EGDS

a. All EGDs shall be located within the designated gaming area. This is inclusive of all "free pull" machines or similar devices. A device which is not in use may be stored in a secured area if approved in writing by the division.

9. Inventory Report

a. The licensee and casino operator shall maintain a current inventory report of all EGDs and equipment. The inventory report shall include, but is not limited to, the following:

i. the serial number assigned to the EGD by the manufacturer;

ii. the registration number issued by the division;

iii. the type of game for which the EGD is designed and used;

iv. the denomination of tokens or coins accepted by each EGD;

v. the location of EGDs equipped with bill validators;

vi. the manufacturer of the EGD; and

vii. the location or house number of the EGD.

b. Upon request by the division, this inventory report shall be submitted to the division in a format prescribed by the division.

10. House Number

a. All EGDs offered for play shall be given a house number by the licensee or casino operator. This house number shall not be altered or changed without prior written approval from the division. The licensee or casino operator shall issue the house numbers in a systematic manner which provides for easy recognition and location of the device. This number shall be a part of the licensee's or casino operator's EGD monitoring system, and shall be displayed, in part, on all on-line system reports. Each EGD shall have its respective house number and location code attached to the device in a manner which allows for easy recognition by division personnel and surveillance cameras.

11. Control Program Requirements

a. EGD control programs shall test themselves for possible corruption caused by failure of the program storage media.

b. The test methodology shall detect 99.99 percent of all possible failures.

c. The control program shall allow for the EGD to be continually tested during game play.

d. The control program shall reside in the EGD which is contained in a storage medium not alterable through any use of the circuitry or programming of the EGD itself.

e. The control program shall check the following:

i. corruption of RAM locations used for crucial EGD functions;

ii. information relating to the current play and final outcome of the two prior games;

iii. random number generator outcome; and

iv. error states.

f. The control RAM areas shall be checked for corruption following game initiation, but prior to display of the game outcome to the player.

g. Detection of corruption is a game malfunction that shall result in a tilt condition which identifies the error and causes the EGD to cease further function.

h. The control program shall have the capacity to display a complete play history for the current game and the previous two games.

i. The control program shall display an indication of the following:

i. the game outcome or a representative equivalent;

ii. bets placed;

iii. credits or coins paid;

iv. credits or coins cashed out; and

v. any error conditions.

j. The control program shall provide the means for on-demand display of the electronic meters via a key switch or other mechanism on the exterior of the EGD.

12. Accounting Meters

a. All EGDs shall be equipped with electronic meters.

b. All electronic meters shall have at least ten digits.

c. All EGDs shall tally totals to ten digits and be capable of rolling over when the maximum value is reached.

d. The required electronic meters are:

i. the coin-in meter shall cumulatively count the number of coins wagered by actual coins inserted or credits bet, or both;

ii. the coin-out meter shall cumulatively count the number of coins or credits that are paid as a result of a win, or credits that are won, or both;

iii. the coins-dropped meter shall maintain a cumulative count of the number of coins that have been diverted into a drop bucket and credit value of all bills inserted into the bill validator for play;

iv. the jackpots-paid meter shall reflect the cumulative amounts paid by an attendant for all jackpots;

v. the games-played meter shall display the cumulative number of games played (handle pulls);

vi. the drop door meter shall display the number of times the drop door was opened;

vii. if the EGD is equipped with a bill validator, the device shall be equipped with a bill validator meter that records:

(a). the total number of bills that were accepted;

(b). a breakdown of the number of each denomination of bill accepted; and

(c). the total dollar amount of bills accepted.

e. EGDs shall be designed so that replacement of parts, modules, or components required for normal maintenance does not affect the electronic meters.

f. EGDs shall have meters which continuously display the following information relating to the current play or monetary transaction:

i. the number of coins or credits wagered in the current game;

ii. the number of coins or credits won in the current game, if applicable;

iii. the number of coins or credits paid for a credit cash out or a direct pay from a winning outcome; and

iv. the number of credits available for wagering, if applicable.

g. Electronically stored meter information required by this Section shall be preserved after power loss to the EGD by battery backup and be capable of maintaining accuracy of electronically stored meter information for a period of at least 180 days.

13. Clearing of Accounting Meters

a. No EGD may have a mechanism that causes the electronic accounting meters to clear automatically when an error occurs.

b. Clearing of the electronic accounting meters, other than due to a malfunction, may be done only if approved in writing by the division. Meter readings, as prescribed by the division, shall be recorded before and after any electronic accounting meter is cleared or a modification is made to the device.

14. Hopper

a. If a hopper is utilized on an EGD it shall be designed to detect the following and force the EGD into a tilt condition if one of the following occurs:

i. jammed coins;

ii. extra coins paid out;

iii. hopper runaways; or

iv. hopper empty conditions.

b. The EGD control program shall monitor the hopper mechanism, if utilized, for these error conditions in all game states in accordance with this Chapter.

c. All coins paid from the hopper mechanism, if utilized, shall be accounted for by the EGD including those paid as extra coins during hopper malfunction.

d. Hopper pay limits shall be designed to permit compliance by the licensee and casino operator with all applicable taxation laws, rules, and regulations.

15. Communication Protocol

a. An EGD which is capable of a bi-directional communication with internal or external associated equipment shall use a communication protocol which ensures that erroneous data or signals will not adversely affect the operation of the EGD.

16. Inspection

a. EGDs installed or modified shall be inspected and tested by the division or its designee, or a licensee or casino operator approved by the division to self test its EGDs, prior to offering these devices for live play. No device shall be operated unless and until each regulated program storage media has been tested and sealed into place by the division or person approved by the division.

b. The security tape or seal shall at all times remain intact and unbroken. The licensee and casino operator shall routinely inspect every device to ensure compliance with this procedure.

c. In the event a licensee or casino operator discovers that the security tape or seal has been broken or tampered with, the power to the EGD shall be immediately turned off, surveillance shall be immediately notified and shall take a photograph of the logic board. The logic board shall be maintained in the surveillance office until a division agent or person approved by the division has the opportunity to inspect the logic board. A copy of the device's "MEAL" book shall be made and shall accompany the logic board.

17. EGD Modification

a. No licensee, casino operator or other person shall modify an EGD without prior written approval from the division. A request shall be made by completing form(s) prescribed by the division and filing it with the respective division field office. The licensee and casino operator shall ensure that the information listed on the EGD form(s) is true and accurate. Any misstatement or omission of information shall be grounds for denial of the request and may be cause for administrative action.

b. Modifications to an EGDs program shall be considered only if the new program has been approved by a designated gaming laboratory.

18. Hold Percentages

a. EGDs shall meet the following minimum and maximum theoretical percentage payout during the expected lifetime of the EGD:

i. the EGD shall pay out at least 80 percent and less than 100 percent of the amount wagered;

ii. the theoretical payout percentage shall be determined using standard methods of the probability theory. The percentage shall be calculated using the highest level of skill where player skill impacts the payback percentage;

iii. an EGD shall have a probability of obtaining the maximum payout greater than one in 50,000,000; and

iv. an EGD shall be capable of continuing the current play with all the current play features after an EGD malfunction is cleared.

19. EGD Field Trial

a. A licensee or casino operator shall be allowed to test, on a limited basis, newly approved programs. The licensee and casino operator shall file an EGD 96-01 Form and indicate in the appropriate field that the request is for a 90-day trial period.

20. Denomination Change

a. When an approved denomination change is made to an EGD which used or uses tokens, the licensee or casino operator shall make necessary adjustments to the initial hopper fill listed on the gaming revenue summary. An adjustment shall be made to the gaming revenue summary to reflect the change in the initial hopper fill each time an EGD is taken off the floor or out of play. A final drop shall be made for that machine, including the hopper. The initial hopper load should be deducted to determine the final net drop for the device.

21. Randomness Events and Randomness Testing

a. Events in EGDs are occurrences of elements or particular combinations of elements which are available on the particular EGD.

b. A random event has a given set of possible outcomes which has a given probability of occurrence called the distribution.

c. Two events are called independent if the following conditions exist:

i. the outcome of one event has no influence on the outcome of the other event; and

ii. the outcome of one event does not affect the distribution of another event.

d. An EGD shall be equipped with a random number generator to make the selection process. A selection process is considered random if the following specifications are met:

i. the random number generator satisfies at least 99 percent confidence level using chi-squared analysis;

ii. the random number generator does not produce a measurable statistic with regard to producing patterns of occurrences. Each reel position is considered random if it meets at least the 99 percent confidence level with regard to the runs test or any similar pattern testing statistic; and

iii. the random number generator produces numbers which are independently chosen.

22. Safety Requirements

a. Electrical and mechanical parts and design principles of EGDs and component parts shall not subject a player to physical hazards.

b. Spilling a conductive liquid on the EGD shall not create a safety hazard or alter the integrity of the EGDs performance.

c. The power supply used in an EGD shall be designed to generate make minimum leakage of current in the event of an intentional or inadvertent disconnection of the alternate current power ground.

d. A surge protector shall be installed on each EGD. Surge protection can be internal or external to the power supply.

e. A battery backup device shall be installed and capable of maintaining accuracy of required electronic meter information after power is disconnected from the EGD. The device shall be kept within the locked or sealed logic board compartment and be capable of sustaining the stored information for 180 days.

23. Power Switch

a. A switch that controls the electrical current used to operate the EGD shall be located in an accessible place and within the interior of the EGD.

24. Power Supply Filter

a. EGD power supply filtering shall be sufficient to prevent disruption of the EGD by a repeated fluctuation of alternating current.

25. Error Conditions and Automatic Clearing

a. EGDs shall be capable of detecting and displaying the following conditions:

i. power reset;

ii. door open;

iii. inappropriate coin-in if the coin is not automatically returned to the player.

b. The conditions listed in this Paragraph shall be automatically cleared by the EGD upon initiation of a new play sequence, if possible.

26. Error Conditions; Clearing by Attendant

a. EGDs shall be capable of detecting and displaying the following error conditions, which an attendant may clear:

i. coin-in jam;

ii. coin-out jam;

iii. hopper empty or timed-out;

iv. RAM error;

v. hopper runaway or extra coin paid out;

vi. program error;

vii. reverse token-in;

viii. reel spin error of any type including a mis-index condition for rotating reels. The specific reel number shall be identified in the error indicator;

ix. low RAM battery, for batteries external to the RAM itself, or low power source.

b. A description of EGD error codes and their meanings shall be affixed inside the EGD.

27. Coin Acceptors

a. EGDs, which have coin acceptors installed, shall meet all the following requirements.

i. All acceptors shall be approved by the division or the designated gaming laboratory.

ii. Coin acceptors shall be designed to accept designated coins and to reject others.

iii. The coin acceptor on an EGD shall be designed to prevent the use of cheating methods, including, but not limited to, slugging, stringing, or spooning.

iv. Coins which are accepted but not credited to the current game shall be returned to the player by activation of the hopper or credited toward the next play of the EGD control program. The coin acceptor shall be capable of handling rapidly fed coins so that frequent occurrences of this type are prevented.

v. EGDs shall have suitable detectors for determining the direction and speed of the coin(s) travel in the receiver. If a coin traveling at improper speed or direction is detected, the EGD shall enter an error condition and display the error condition which shall require attendant intervention to clear.

b. EGDs which do not utilize a coin acceptor or do not have the coin acceptor installed shall have the coin head removed and have a permanent or non-removable plate affixed over the coin head opening. The coin head opening shall be covered in a manner which, at all times, prevents the insertion of any type of object, tool, or equipment into the interior of the device.

28. Bill Validators

a. EGDs may contain a bill validator that will accept the following:

i. $1 bills;

ii. $5 bills;

iii. $10 bills;

iv. $20 bills;

v. $50 bills;

vi. $100 bills.

b. The bill acceptors may be for single denomination or combination of denominations.

c. Bill validators may accept other items as approved by the division.

29. Automatic Light Alarm

a. A light shall be installed on the top of the EGD that automatically illuminates when the door to the EGD is opened or associated equipment that may affect the operation of the EGD is exposed. This does not apply to bartop EGDs.

30. Access to the Interior

a. The internal space of an EGD shall not be readily accessible when the door is closed.

b. The following shall be in a separate locked or sealed area within the EGDs:

i. logic boards;

ii. ROM;

iii. RAM;

iv. program storage media.

c. No access to the logic area is allowed without prior notification to the licensee's or casino operator's surveillance room. Unauthorized tampering or entrance into the logic area without prior notification is grounds for administrative action.

d. The division shall be allowed immediate access to the locked or sealed area. Keys to EGDs shall be maintained in accordance with these rules and the internal controls. A licensee or casino operator shall provide the division a master key to the door of an approved EGD, if so requested.

31. Tape Sealed Areas

a. An EGD's logic boards and any program storage media in a locked area within the EGD shall be sealed with the division's security tape. The security tape shall be affixed by a division agent or person approved by the division. The security tape may only be removed by, or with approval from, a division agent or person approved by the division.

b. The division shall ensure, by utilizing security tape or other approved method, that all other program storage media which may affect the game outcome, game security, jackpot distribution, or proper communication with the monitoring system, is secured in a manner which does not allow tampering or unauthorized modifications.

32. Hardware Switches

a. No hardware switches may be installed which alter the pay tables or payout percentage in the operation of an EGD.

b. Hardware switches may be installed to control the following:

i. graphic routines;

ii. speed of play;

iii. sound;

iv. other approved cosmetic play features.

33. Display of Rules of Play

a. The rules of play for EGDs shall be displayed on the face or screen of all EGDs. Rules of play shall be approved by the division prior to play.

b. The division may reject the rules of play if they are:

i. incomplete;

ii. confusing;

iii. misleading; or

iv. for any other reason stated by the division.

c. Rules of play shall be kept under glass or other transparent substance and shall not be altered without prior approval from the division.

d. Stickers or other removable devices shall not be placed on the EGD face, unless their placement is approved by the division.

34. Manufacturer's Operating and Field Manuals and Procedures

a. Subject to the rules, each licensee and casino operator shall comply with written guidelines and procedures concerning installations, modifications, and upgrades of components and associated equipment established by the manufacturer of an EGD, component, on-line system, software, and associated equipment.

La. Admin. Code tit. 42, § III-4209

Promulgated by the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, Gaming Control Board, LR 38:1675 (July 2012).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 27:15 and 24.