Payouts for sports boards
By Rick Ask, Administrator
Gambling Control Division
As usual, the closer we get to the Super Bowl, more sports pool boards are seen in licensed locations than at any other time during the year.
What is also sometimes true is that the more boards seen in licensed locations, the more violations of board statutes and rules we see.
This year one violation has been seen more frequently. This year Division Investigators have discovered and written violation notices to some operators for paying the entire value of the sports pool board based on the quarter score.
This article is a reminder that you can't pay out the entire value of the board for one quarter or other portion of the event.
Statutory limits on sports pool boards include a maximum charge of $5 per square and $500 prize payout. Boards must also be sold based upon a sports event. A sports event is defined as “an athletic game, race or contest ...”, not a portion of the game or contest. If the Division were to allow operators to pay the entire value of the board on a quarter or half, boards could easily be combined so as to exceed those limits.
Remember, you can sell squares on as many boards for a given sports event as you wish. However, each board must meet the all the requirements, including price per square and prize limits. Board squares may not be sold for more than $5; prizes per board may not exceed $500.
The event on which the board is sold must be the entire event, not a portion of the event. A board can be constructed to pay in segments of the event only if the board is for the event and the amounts meet the statutory limitations.
If you have any questions about sports boards, ask at your local GIB office, or call Investigations Bureau Chief Jeff Bryson at 444-1971.