§ 1335. Games and gaming equipment. 1. This article shall not be construed to permit any gaming except the conduct of authorized games in a casino in accordance with this article and the regulations promulgated hereunder. 2. Gaming equipment shall not be possessed, maintained or exhibited by any person on the premises of a gaming facility except in a casino or in restricted casino areas used for the inspection, repair or storage of such equipment and specifically designated for that purpose by the gaming facility licensee with the approval of the commission. Gaming equipment that supports the conduct of gaming in a gaming facility but does not permit or require patron access, such as computers, may be possessed and maintained by a gaming facility licensee or a qualified holding or intermediary company of a gaming facility licensee in restricted areas specifically approved by the commission. No gaming equipment shall be possessed, maintained, exhibited, brought into or removed from a gaming facility by any person unless such equipment is necessary to the conduct of an authorized game, has permanently affixed, imprinted, impressed or engraved thereon an identification number or symbol authorized by the commission, is under the exclusive control of a gaming facility licensee or gaming facility licensee's employees, or of any individually qualified employee of a holding company or gaming facility licensee and is brought into or removed from the gaming facility following twenty-four hour prior notice given to an authorized agent of the commission. Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, computer equipment used by the slot system operator of a multi-casino progressive slot system to link and communicate with the slot machines of two or more gaming facility licensees for the purpose of calculating and displaying the amount of a progressive jackpot, monitoring the operation of the system, and any other purpose that the commission deems necessary and appropriate to the operation or maintenance of the multi-casino progressive slot machine system may, with the prior approval of the commission, be possessed, maintained and operated by the slot system operator either in a restricted area on the premises of a gaming facility or in a secure facility inaccessible to the public and specifically designed for that purpose off the premises of a gaming facility with the written permission of the commission. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a person may, with the prior approval of the commission and under such terms and conditions as may be required by the commission, possess, maintain or exhibit gaming equipment in any other area of the gaming facility, provided that such equipment is used for nongaming purposes. Notwithstanding any other provision of this article to the contrary, the commission may, by regulation, authorize the linking of slot machines of one or more gaming facility licensees and slot machines located in casinos licensed by another state of the United States. Wagering and account information for a multi-state slot system shall be transmitted by the operator of such multi-state slot system to either a restricted area on the premises of a gaming facility or to a secure facility inaccessible to the public and specifically designed for that purpose with the written permission of the commission, and from there to slot machines of gaming facility licensees, provided all locations are approved by the commission. 3. Each gaming facility shall contain a count room and such other secure facilities as may be required by the commission for the counting and storage of cash, coins, tokens, checks, plaques, gaming vouchers, coupons, and other devices or items of value used in wagering and approved by the commission that are received in the conduct of gaming and for the inspection, counting and storage of dice, cards, chips and other representatives of value. The commission shall promulgate regulations for the security of drop boxes and other devices in which the foregoing items are deposited at the gaming tables or in slot machines, and all areas wherein such boxes and devices are kept while in use, which regulations may include certain locking devices. Said drop boxes and other devices shall not be brought into or removed from a gaming facility, or locked or unlocked, except at such times, in such places, and according to such procedures as the commission may require. 4. All chips used in gaming shall be of such size and uniform color by denomination as the commission shall require by regulation. 5. All gaming shall be conducted according to rules promulgated by the commission. All wagers and pay-offs of winning wagers shall be made according to rules promulgated by the commission, which shall establish such limitations as may be necessary to assure the vitality of casino operations and fair odds to patrons. Each slot machine shall have a minimum payout of eighty-five percent. 6. Each gaming facility licensee shall make available in printed form to any patron upon request the complete text of the rules of the commission regarding games and the conduct of gaming, pay-offs of winning wagers, an approximation of the odds of winning for each wager, and such other advice to the player as the commission shall require. Each gaming facility licensee shall prominently post within a casino, according to regulations of the commission such information about gaming rules, pay-offs of winning wagers, the odds of winning for each wager, and such other advice to the player as the commission shall require. 7. Each gaming table shall be equipped with a sign indicating the permissible minimum and maximum wagers pertaining thereto. It shall be unlawful for a gaming facility licensee to require any wager to be greater than the stated minimum or less than the stated maximum; provided, however, that any wager actually made by a patron and not rejected by a gaming facility licensee prior to the commencement of play shall be treated as a valid wager. 8. Testing of slot machines and associated devices. (a) Except as herein provided, no slot machine shall be used to conduct gaming unless it is identical in all electrical, mechanical and other aspects to a model thereof which has been specifically tested and licensed for use by the commission. The commission shall also test or cause to be tested any other gaming device, gaming equipment, gaming-related device or gross-revenue related device, such as a slot management system, electronic transfer credit system or gaming voucher system as it deems appropriate. In its discretion and for the purpose of expediting the approval process, the commission may utilize the services of a private testing laboratory that has obtained a plenary license as a casino vendor enterprise to perform the testing, and may also utilize applicable data from any such private testing laboratory or from a governmental agency of a state authorized to regulate slot machines and other gaming devices, gaming equipment, gaming-related devices and gross-revenue related devices used in gaming, if the private testing laboratory or governmental agency uses a testing methodology substantially similar to the methodology approved or utilized by the commission. The commission, in its discretion, may rely upon the data provided by the private testing laboratory or governmental agency and adopt the conclusions of such private testing laboratory or governmental agency regarding any submitted device.(b) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (e) of this subdivision, the commission shall, within sixty days of its receipt of a complete application for the testing of a slot machine or other gaming equipment model, approve or reject the slot machine or other gaming equipment model. In so doing, the commission shall specify whether and to what extent any data from a private testing laboratory or governmental agency of a state was used in reaching its conclusions and recommendation. If the commission is unable to complete the testing of a slot machine or other gaming equipment model within this sixty day period, the commission may conditionally approve the slot machine or other gaming equipment model for test use by a gaming facility licensee provided that the commission represents that the use of the slot machine or other gaming equipment model will not have a direct and materially adverse impact on the integrity of gaming or the control of gross revenue. The commission shall give priority to the testing of slot machines or other gaming equipment that a gaming facility licensee has certified it will use in its gaming facility in this state.
(c) The commission shall, by regulation, establish such technical standards for licensure of slot machines, including mechanical and electrical reliability, security against tampering, the comprehensibility of wagering, and noise and light levels, as it may deem necessary to protect the player from fraud or deception and to insure the integrity of gaming. The denominations of such machines shall be set by the licensee; the licensee shall simultaneously notify the commission of the settings.
(d) The commission shall, by regulation, determine the permissible number and density of slot machines in a licensed gaming facility so as to:
(1) promote optimum security for gaming facility operations;
(2) avoid deception or frequent distraction to players at gaming tables;
(3) promote the comfort of patrons;
(4) create and maintain a gracious playing environment in the gaming facility; and
(5) encourage and preserve competition in gaming facility operations by assuring that a variety of gaming opportunities is offered to the public. Any such regulation promulgated by the commission which determines the permissible number and density of slot machines in a licensed gaming facility shall provide that all casinos shall be included in any calculation of the permissible number and density of slot machines in a licensed gaming facility.
(e) Any new gaming equipment that is submitted for testing to the commission or to a state licensed independent testing laboratory prior to or simultaneously with submission of such new equipment for testing in a jurisdiction other than this state, may, consistent with regulations promulgated by the commission, be deployed by a gaming facility licensee on the casino fourteen days after submission of such equipment for testing. If the gaming facility or casino vendor enterprise licensee has not received approval for the equipment fourteen days after submission for testing, any interested gaming facility licensee may, consistent with commission regulations, deploy the equipment on a field test basis, unless otherwise directed by the executive director. 9. It shall be unlawful for any person to exchange or redeem chips for anything whatsoever, except for currency, negotiable personal checks, negotiable counter checks, other chips, coupons, slot vouchers or complimentary vouchers distributed by the gaming facility licensee, or, if authorized by regulation of the commission, a valid charge to a credit or debit card account. A gaming facility licensee shall, upon the request of any person, redeem that licensee's gaming chips surrendered by that person in any amount over one hundred dollars with a check drawn upon the licensee's account at any banking institution in this state and made payable to that person. 10. It shall be unlawful for any gaming facility licensee or its agents or employees to employ, contract with, or use any shill or barker to induce any person to enter a gaming facility or play at any game or for any purpose whatsoever. 11. It shall be unlawful for a dealer in any authorized game in which cards are dealt to deal cards by hand or other than from a device specifically designed for that purpose, unless otherwise permitted by the rules of the commission.
