Hi Harry,
I'm embedding responses below:
Bill Coleman wrote:
> Please see my earlier post. But in synopsis, you appear to believe
> that Indian casinos are not regulated. This is not true. Since many
> Tribal casinos exist with little or no competition they are money
> machines. If they get greedy they install machines with higher holds.
> Although it is true that inspections are less frequent than they are
> in Nevada, getting caught would involve unthinkable penalties just
> from a public relations standpoint. There is significantly less of an
> incentive for a tribal casino to cheat than there is for a privately
> owned one. (see NIGA, Bureau of Indian Affairs, the US Department of
> the Interior)
Bill ... while I don't have any particular cause to suspect that
Indian casinos with machines that would appear to be "NV-compliant"
would offer a "gaffed" machine in their place, do the regulatory
bodies involved offer any such assurance?
Yes, they do. As in commercial gaming, each jurisdiction (in this case the Tribal Government and the Federal Regulators) sets rules for testing. There are commercial laboratories that test machines to ensure compliance with local regulations and machines are not permitted in a casino until they are certified. (I believe some jurisdictions accept certifications by other jurisdictions like Nevada to be sufficient). The Federal regulators have rules, each compact has rules and the Tribe may have rules that are even tighter if they wish. The main "safety" measure is the manufacturer's ability to operate in the state under general regulations and the laboratory certifications.
Also, most regulations both in commercial and tribal jurisdictions refer to the accounting procedures. These are VERY tight since it would be easy to skim money "off the top" and avoid taxes. If casinos were to cheat this is where they would gain the most benefit.
Indian casinos with NV-compliant machines operate under state compacts
permitting "Class III" gaming. Class III electronic gaming is a
definition that is a catch-all of anything that doesn't operating off
a "bingo-engine" based mechanism (meaning, one that at heart simulates
the play of a bingo game between players). The WA State VLT-based
video poker machines are an example of Class III gaming that's not
NV-compliant.
The actual definition of Class III gaming is permitting house-banked games. You will note that Bingo, etc. are player-banked with the house taking a percentage, kind of like poker or race wagering. In the industry, Washington state is often (half-seriously) referred to as Class II 1/2. They permit house-banked table games but the machines are really player-banked. And, by the way, Class II machines do not "simulate" Bingo. They actually play a Bingo game with everyone in the casino participating, although each Bingo game actually lasts at most a second or two. But that is why unless there are 2 patrons actively playing the Class II casino will not function.
It's my impression that regulatory oversight of Indian casinos is all
about ensuring that operations are consistent with state guidelines
... not that any particular machine is "NV-compliant". Am I mistaken?
No, not really. It is actually that operations are consistent with the regulatory authorities (Class III Tribal always have 3 regulators unlike commercial casinos that only have 1). They also are members of a "trade group" the National Indian Gaming Association that acts to protect the industry like all trade groups. I don't know of any tribes that are not members of NIGA.
It is due to the 3 regulators (Tribal, State and Federal) that I would actually feel much more confident in the honesty of games in a Tribal casino than in a commercial casino. (In fact I am totally confident in the honesty of both).
Bill
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At 05:07 PM 5/3/2008, you wrote: