Final rules are being drafted to institute recent legislation modifying Montana's gaming regulations, and they will reflect concerns expressed by the gaming industry, says Gambling Control Division Administrator Gene Huntington.
Chief among the concerns--outlined at the last meeting of the Gambling Advisory Council in May--were plans to make two existing "bonus games" illegal because they allowed players to win points redeemable in cash from games that would be unauthorized under the new rules.
State regulations allow video gambling on poker, keno and bingo, though in practice, the latter game hasn't proven popular in video format. The bonus games in question were triggered by certain non-winning combinations in the authorized games of keno and poker, and were thus technically illegal, according to Huntington, even though they had previously been approved.
Originally, operators were going to be given 36 months to replace the games ("Polly's Plunder" and "Spot 'O Luck"). However, under the final rules, operators will now be able to run those games until whenever the next software updates are made, that is, "until whenever market forces allow," said Huntington.
The Gaming Industry Association (GIA) had expressed serious concerns over making any existing approved games illegal under the new rules, but those concerns were addressed by the state at a June 16 public hearing in Helena, said GIA Executive Director Rich Miller.
While the law will go into effect on July 1, final rules won't be in place until sometime after that date, Huntington said. Such a lag is not uncommon, he added.
"People get really jammed up trying to adopt all these rules following the session. There will be a little lag," he said, adding that the new rules should be in place by mid-July or so.
"We've received some very constructive suggestions from GIA, MTA (Montana Tavern Association) and the industry, and we have incorporated some of them," Huntington added.
The proposed rules require that bonus games may not be triggered except by a "win" at the authorized games of poker, keno or bingo. The two games that were to be made illegal, but which are now grandfathered in, triggered bonus game screens from non-winning combinations at either poker or keno.
The GIA's Miller said he was satisfied by the changes, since operators will have ample time to make changes to those games and it won't affect anyone's bottom line.
"I feel satisfied," said Miller. "It was a good rules process."
Bonus games were not technically legal prior to passage of the new legislation.
{b]New forms of poker now allowed[/b]
Among the other changes coming from the Legislature's revision of state gaming laws will be new forms of poker--stud and Texas Hold 'Em. Previously, only draw poker was allowed.
Other changes covered by the new law govern modifications to existing machines, abolition of the annual gaming machine permit surcharge, machine specifications, and other details.
Source: The Montana Tavern Times, July, 2005, published monthly by Continental Communications, 125 W. Granite St., Suite 102, Butte, MT 59701.