GIA to fund problem-gambling council again
By Paul Tash
Montana Tavern Times
The Gaming Industry Association is back as a main financial sponsor of the Montana Council on Problem Gambling.
Neil Peterson, GIA executive director, told the GIA board of directors at its meeting Nov. 10 in Helena that funds are being raised by GIA members that are earmarked for the Council, which is a successful statewide treatment program funded solely by the gaming industry.
The GIA had suspended its support of the Council earlier this year due to some financial difficulties. As one of four original industry sponsors of the Council, the GIA had contributed annually to the Council since its inception in 2000. The three other sponsors are the Montana Tavern Association, the Montana Coin Machine Operators Association and Town Pump.
The money being raised will satisfy GIA's annual obligation to the Council, the board was told.
Peterson then updated the board on several proposed rules. The Department of Revenue is still developing administrative rules for the new mandatory server-training law. Peterson said he urged the Department to “keep the rules as simple as possible.”
One potential new rule would develop an electronic tracking system for training providers to input participants' training information, which drew some concern.
Board member Bryan Sandrock asked where the funding would come from to develop such a system.
A second rule sets the requirements for the training, including moving the training deadline to Jan. 1, 2012. Other requirements are consistent with the language in the server-training law, such as requiring employees to be trained within 60 days of hire, allowing those already trained to be compliant, and requiring licensees to maintain proof of training records for employees.
A third rule sets forth requirements for training providers, including requiring an 85 percent passing score. However, that requirement may be dropped to the 70-75 percent range, Peterson said.
Peterson also told the board that the Department of Justice was expected to adopt administrative rule changes offered by the Gambling Advisory Council at a rules hearing Nov. 17 (Editor's note: all rules below were approved at the hearing).
One rule would allow previous owners who are the foreclosing party to submit a new short application form if no change in ownership has occurred since last licensed, and the foreclosure takes place within two years following the sale. The law now requires an amended long form be submitted in that situation. If the foreclosure takes place more than two years but fewer than five years following sale, a new license application would be required.
Another rule would allow the use of the short application form for licensees who don't have an on-premise liquor license – such as route operators, distributors, and manufacturers – when they change locations of their businesses. Currently they have to utilize the long application form upon changing locations.
A third rule seeks to shorten the application procedure for a licensee to change its entity type - for example, from an LLC to a corporation. As long as ownership remains the same, the licensee changing its entity type can use the new one-and-one-half page application form.
Peterson reported that the Gambling Advisory Council also appointed a subcommittee to review card-game tournaments. Peterson had told the GAC at its last meeting in September that the GIA would like to see the Council eliminate the limit of 12 tournaments per year, eliminate the application fee, and improve the poker tournaments to get more people involved.
Though some GIA board members expressed a concern that card games could take away from machine play, others said card games could enhance machine play.
Larry Davidson said he hoped the subcommittee could “streamline the paperwork” of tournaments, which could be “a nightmare.”
Those appointed to the card tournament subcommittee are council members Jed Fitch and John Tooke, GCD staffer Jeff Bryson and GIA/MTA member Kent Frampton. Tooke will chair the subcommittee, which will bring a final recommendation to the full Council in May 2012.
In other business, Peterson updated the board on the progress of the Gambling Control Division's line-game approval. As of the Nov. 10 meeting, U1 Gaming had its line games approved by the state, while Grand Vision Gaming, Spielo, Summit Gaming and Epic Software had submitted and are awaiting approval (see story on Page 1). In addition, MTD Gaming and Fleetwood Gaming were just days away from submitting their games to the state.
U1 has line games approved already in South Dakota, said Peterson, adding that the GCD lab is giving deference to games already approved in another jurisdiction.
The GIA board of directors will next meet Feb. 9 in Helena.