Electronic machine permitting now in play
Pub Date: 6/1/2008
By Gene Huntington, Administrator
The Gambling Control Division
Last year, only one route operator and a couple of pioneering locations had begun reporting video gaming machine data on-line in time to use the new internet based system for permitting video gambling machines.
By contrast, this year over two-thirds of all video gambling machines will be eligible for online renewal, eliminating a mountain of paperwork for operators and the Gambling Control Division.
Licenses are distinct from permits. People are licensed, while games and devices receive permits. Each July, every gambling operator, card room contractor, route operator, distributor and manufacturer must renew their licenses. Licensing remains a paper process because if there has been any change in the ownership or suitability of the licensee, the licensee needs to submit new documents.
The license renewal process must precede any effort to renew permits. Permits for video gambling machines, card tables, live keno games and bingo are issued to operators only after their gambling licenses have been renewed. The on-line system does not yet provide on-line renewal of live games, such as card tables, live keno and live bingo. Live game permits must be renewed at the time gambling operators renew their gambling operator licenses.
Prior to the on-line system, operators received new decals that looked like permits to put on their video gambling machines. Now, with the new on-line system a video gambling machine permit is only a line of print on the gambling license.
Video gambling machine permits can only be renewed on-line by machine owners who have been approved to report taxes electronically. Once their licenses have been renewed, location owners or route operators can get their video gambling machine permits by clicking a box in the on-line renewal screen. The on-line system requires the machine owner to pay by electronic fund transfer or credit card. Payment can be made on the day the permits are renewed on-line or the machine owner can warehouse the payment until the last day payments are due, June 26, 2008.
The process is most complex for locations with route operators. The following steps explain the process for a location that has a route operator but also owns some video gambling machines and has card tables:
1. The location must complete the license renewal form and submit the form and payment to Gambling Control by June 1.
2. Attach a check to cover the amount of the gambling license renewal and for any live games permits (card tables or any other live games).
3. After the Gambling Control Division has processed the license renewal the gambling operator or the route operator who owns the video gambling machine can go on-line to renew the permit for the machine.
4. Video gambling machine permits expire at midnight on June 30. Any machines not renewed by June 30 must be turned off until the permit is renewed.
5. The route operator or the operator (for machines owned by the location) can warehouse the payment for the video gambling machine permits, to be paid by electronic funds transfer on June 26.
6. Gambling Control prints and mails licenses with the renewed permits on June 16.
During the renewal process, video gambling machine owners can check the status of the permit renewal by going on-line to and clicking on Annual Permit Renewal (for July 1) . If the permit payment has been warehoused, the permit is approved and issued on June 26.
If you have questions about this process, go to or call 406-444-9131.
Source: The Montana Tavern Times, June, 2008, published monthly by Continental Communications, 125 W. Granite St., Suite 102, Butte, MT 59701.