N.H. Admin. Code § Lot 7207.04

Current through Register No. 45, November 7, 2024

Section Lot 7207.04 - Conduct of Games of Chance

(a) Pursuant to RSA 287-D:14, XVIII, no games of chance shall be played unless all of the games of chance being offered have been approved by the commission in accordance with Lot 7206.07 above, and identified on the game schedule, as required by Lot 7206.02.

(b) In accordance with RSA 287-D:14, VI, no one under the age of 18 years shall be admitted to the area where the games of chance are being conducted, except when the games are being conducted at a carnival.

(c) Card games shall be conducted in accordance with the following, in order of priority:

(1) The game procedures approved by the commission;

(2) The house rules approved by the commission; and

(3) Rules explained in The New Complete Hoyle: The Authoritative Guide to the Official Rules of All Popular Games of Skill and Chance, Revised Edition (1991), Poker Tournament Directors Association's Recommended Procedures and Illustration Addendum (version 3.0, October 24, 2017), available as noted in Appendix B, or a similar authoritative guide on games of chance.

(d) For games with rake, the rake shall be no less than one dollar and at least one dollar more than the amount contributed per hand toward a player-funded promotion.

(e) For games or tournaments where chips have no monetary face value:

(1) The licensee shall post the location of the game or tournament in the public place prior to commencing the game or tournament;

(2) The licensee shall not charge any amounts, by whatever name, other than buy-ins and re-buys;

(3) Except as allowed by (4) below, the charitable organization may offer any number of games per licensed event provided each player is limited to spending up to $150 per game, including add-ons, buy-ins, and re-buys;

(4) The charitable organization may offer one game per authorized event where each player may spend up to $250 for the game, including buy-ins and re-buys;

(5) The prize shall either be a set prize amount or a percentage of the prize pool;

(6) Prizes shall not be awarded to more than 50 percent of the players that have registered and bought into the game or tournament;

(7) The total amount awarded in prizes shall not exceed 80 percent of the total amount collected from players; and

(8) At the end of a game or tournament, any chips held by a player not receiving a prize shall:

a. Have no value for any purpose;

b. Not be traded, bartered, used or exchanged for any purpose whatsoever; and

c. Not be used for play in any other game or tournament.

(f) Except as allowed by (g) below, no single wager by a player, on any game of chance, shall exceed the amount of $10.

(g) In poker where chips have monetary value, play may be conducted under table stakes rules, as follows:

(1) The amount of blinds, antes, and any other type of forced bet shall not exceed $10 per player, but the amount wagered by a player during the play of a hand shall not be limited except by the amount of chips the player has in his or her possession at the table;

(2) Players entering a new game shall not be allowed to possess more than $1,000 in chips;

(3) A player may purchase up to $1,000 in chips at a time from the cashier area, also known as the cage;

(4) A player may purchase up to $150 in chips per hand from the dealer at the table where he or she is playing provided that the amount of chips being purchased will not raise the total value of chips in the player's possession above $1,000, or less as otherwise specified in the house rules:

(5) When management moves a player to a new table of the same game and stakes, the player may bring all of the chips in his or her possession to the new table, unless otherwise prohibited by house rules;

(6) When a player is moved to a new table of a different game or stake, the player shall not be allowed to bring more than $1,000 in chips to the new game.

(7) Once chips are on the table, the player shall not be permitted to remove chips from his or her stack, unless the player is concluding play and leaving the table; and

(8) A game operator shall not require a player to maintain the minimum amount of chips to continue to play.

(h) For the purposes of paragraph (g) above, a hand begins when the dealer makes the first shuffle or presses the activation button on the shuffle machine, and is complete once all wagers have been concluded on the cards in play, the pot has been awarded, and all cards have been collected and shuffled.

(i) In accordance with RSA 287-D:14VII,XV-X, all tournaments shall comply with the following:

(1) A tournament shall be a single event in which all players begin with the same number of chips and play until the posted prizes are paid out;

(2) A tournament may be held over multiple days to accommodate the number of players as long as the event is operated as a single licensed event, hosted by the same charitable organization;

(3) When a player has lost all of his or her chips and is eliminated from the tournament, the player may buy in again to continue playing until such time as the player reaches the spending limits set by RSA 287-D:14, XV and XVI;

(4) Prize payouts shall not exceed 80% of the total amount collected from players, and as such, a portion of the money collected from players cannot be carried over to be awarded in a separate event or tournament; and

(5) Funds shall not be added to the prize pool to enhance the payout if doing so would exceed the 80% restriction noted in (4) above, and as such, a game operator cannot subsidize the pot in order to reach a guaranteed prize amount that cannot otherwise be met using player money.

(j) All player-funded promotions shall comply with the following:

(1) All funds contributed by players into the pool shall be returned when won in accordance with posted rules. No commission, or administrative fee shall be taken from the pool;

(2) All payouts shall be in cash, not cash equivalent;

(3) For games with rake, the amount contributed per hand toward a player-funded promotion shall be at least one dollar less than the rake;

(4) Information about the promotion shall be prominently displayed in the game room, or made available in writing for patron review, and include:

a. The conditions for participating in the promotion;

b. The written game procedures, as set forth in Lot 7206.07(c)(3); and

c. The current amount of the pool(s), which shall be updated at least once a day;

(5) All contributions and payouts for each pool being offered shall be documented to include the following information:

a. The name of the promotion;

b. The date corresponding to each contribution or payout;

c. Total contributions on each given day;

d. The name of each patron that won the pool, the date won, the dollar amount of the payout, and, when an individual payout is $600 or more, the signature of the agent completing the transaction attesting to the disbursement of the payout; and

e. Last running balance, if applicable;

(6) Promotional pool contributions shall not be placed in or near the rake circle, in the drop box, or commingle with other gaming revenue;

(7) A separate bank account shall be established for each promotional account, and at no time shall bank fees be deducted from the balance;

(8) All money collected from players shall be awarded in accordance with approved procedures prior to the termination of any promotion; and

(9) The game operator employer shall be liable for the promotional pool. Should the monies be lost or stolen, the game operator employer shall be responsible for replacing it.

(k) Promotions of any kind shall not be financed by non-member players, or result in a reduction in the payments otherwise due to the charitable organization or the commission in accordance with RSA 287-D:19, II(a) and RSA 287-D:20, II.

(l) Wagers shall only be placed in the form of chips, or the like, or, when electronic gaming tables are used, in the form of representations of credit.

(m) No licensed charitable organization or game operator employer shall extend credit to any patron at any time.

(n) The game operator shall collect and store his or her tips in a tip box or in a clearly designated area of the gaming table.

(o) Except as allowed by (j) above, no licensee shall permit side bets between players or other such activities that involve a participant wagering money or other items of value against another, when the activity does not provide for some portion of the proceeds to go to the licensed charitable organization and the state.

(p) The game operator shall establish and comply with a minimum bankroll to ensure the gaming operation maintains cash or cash equivalent in an amount sufficient to satisfy obligations to their patrons, the hosting charitable organizations, and the commission as follows:

(1) The licensee shall determine the minimum bankroll required by completing the "Minimum Bankroll Analysis" form (6/2019);

(2) The licensee shall conduct a minimum bankroll analysis prior to the initial opening of the game room and every month thereafter to determine whether a cash deficiency exists;

(3) The licensee shall submit the results of a minimum bankroll analysis to the commission:

a. Prior to opening, each month for the first 3 months subsequent to opening and, if released from the monthly requirement by the commission, quarterly thereafter until the first anniversary of the opening;

b. Upon request by the commission;

c. Upon changes to the games being offered which materially affect the licensee's cash requirements;

d. When the licensee's cash position materially changes; and

e. Any time available cash or cash equivalent are less than the amount required by the minimum bankroll analysis;

(4) At any time cash or cash equivalents are less than the required amount, the licensee shall take immediate steps to cure any deficiencies;

(5) The licensee shall maintain evidence of the monthly computation and supporting documentation, and make such documentation available for inspection by the commission for 2 years following the applicable bankroll computation date; and

(6) Any licensee who makes payments of a gaming award to a patron by check shall report to the commission any payment returned for non-sufficient funds within 24 hours of receiving actual notice that the check has not been honored.

(q) The game operator shall immediately notify the commission in writing of any incidents that take place during a game event that involve theft, cheating, or similar acts of deception by a player or staff member, and cooperate with any subsequent investigations conducted by the commission or local law enforcement.

N.H. Admin. Code § Lot 7207.04

Derived from Volume XXXIX Number 32, Filed August 8, 2019, Proposed by #12839, Effective 7/27/2019, Expires 7/27/2029.