103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
SB3255

 

Introduced 2/6/2024, by Sen. Bill Cunningham

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
230 ILCS 40/15
230 ILCS 40/20

    Amends the Video Gaming Act. Provides that the Illinois Gaming Board may require video gaming terminals to display a message informing players they may round their winnings down to the nearest whole dollar amount and donate the difference to the special causes described in the Illinois Lottery Law. Provides that the Board shall adopt rules to establish additional criteria and processes to enable video gaming terminals and payout machines to offer players the option to round winnings down to the nearest whole dollar amount or $0 and donate the difference to the State Lottery Fund for distribution to the special causes. Provides that tickets dispensed by pressing the ticket dispensing button on the video gaming terminal must also indicate the total amount to be donated to the special causes.


LRB103 37605 AWJ 67731 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

SB3255LRB103 37605 AWJ 67731 b

1    AN ACT concerning gaming.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 5. The Video Gaming Act is amended by changing
5Sections 15 and 20 as follows:
 
6    (230 ILCS 40/15)
7    Sec. 15. Minimum requirements for licensing and
8registration. Every video gaming terminal offered for play
9shall first be tested and approved pursuant to the rules of the
10Board, and each video gaming terminal offered in this State
11for play shall conform to an approved model. For the
12examination of video gaming machines and associated equipment
13as required by this Section, the Board shall utilize the
14services of independent outside testing laboratories that have
15been accredited in accordance with ISO/IEC 17025 by an
16accreditation body that is a signatory to the International
17Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation Mutual Recognition
18Agreement signifying they are qualified to perform such
19examinations. Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the
20Board shall consider the licensing of independent outside
21testing laboratory applicants in accordance with procedures
22established by the Board by rule. The Board shall not withhold
23its approval of an independent outside testing laboratory

 

 

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1license applicant that has been accredited as required by this
2Section and is licensed in gaming jurisdictions comparable to
3Illinois. Upon the finalization of required rules, the Board
4shall license independent testing laboratories and accept the
5test reports of any licensed testing laboratory of the video
6gaming machine's or associated equipment manufacturer's
7choice, notwithstanding the existence of contracts between the
8Board and any independent testing laboratory. Every video
9gaming terminal offered in this State for play must meet
10minimum standards approved by the Board. Each approved model
11shall, at a minimum, meet the following criteria:
12        (1) It must conform to all requirements of federal law
13    and regulations, including FCC Class A Emissions
14    Standards.
15        (2) It must theoretically pay out a mathematically
16    demonstrable percentage during the expected lifetime of
17    the machine of all amounts played, which must not be less
18    than 80%. The Board shall establish a maximum payout
19    percentage for approved models by rule. Video gaming
20    terminals that may be affected by skill must meet this
21    standard when using a method of play that will provide the
22    greatest return to the player over a period of continuous
23    play.
24        (3) It must use a random selection process to
25    determine the outcome of each play of a game. The random
26    selection process must meet 99% confidence limits using a

 

 

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1    standard chi-squared test for (randomness) goodness of
2    fit.
3        (4) It must display an accurate representation of the
4    game outcome.
5        (5) It must not automatically alter pay tables or any
6    function of the video gaming terminal based on internal
7    computation of hold percentage or have any means of
8    manipulation that affects the random selection process or
9    probabilities of winning a game.
10        (6) It must not be adversely affected by static
11    discharge or other electromagnetic interference.
12        (7) It must be capable of detecting and displaying the
13    following conditions during idle states or on demand:
14    power reset; door open; and door just closed.
15        (8) It must have the capacity to display complete play
16    history (outcome, intermediate play steps, credits
17    available, bets placed, credits paid, and credits cashed
18    out) for the most recent game played and 10 games prior
19    thereto.
20        (9) The theoretical payback percentage of a video
21    gaming terminal must not be capable of being changed
22    without making a hardware or software change in the video
23    gaming terminal, either on site or via the central
24    communications system.
25        (10) Video gaming terminals must be designed so that
26    replacement of parts or modules required for normal

 

 

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1    maintenance does not necessitate replacement of the
2    electromechanical meters.
3        (11) It must have nonresettable meters housed in a
4    locked area of the terminal that keep a permanent record
5    of all cash inserted into the machine, all winnings made
6    by the terminal printer, credits played in for video
7    gaming terminals, and credits won by video gaming players.
8    The video gaming terminal must provide the means for
9    on-demand display of stored information as determined by
10    the Board.
11        (12) Electronically stored meter information required
12    by this Section must be preserved for a minimum of 180 days
13    after a power loss to the service.
14        (13) It must have one or more mechanisms that accept
15    cash in the form of bills. The mechanisms shall be
16    designed to prevent obtaining credits without paying by
17    stringing, slamming, drilling, or other means. If such
18    attempts at physical tampering are made, the video gaming
19    terminal shall suspend itself from operating until reset.
20        (14) It shall have accounting software that keeps an
21    electronic record which includes, but is not limited to,
22    the following: total cash inserted into the video gaming
23    terminal; the value of winning tickets claimed by players;
24    the total credits played; the total credits awarded by a
25    video gaming terminal; and pay back percentage credited to
26    players of each video game.

 

 

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1        (15) It shall be linked by a central communications
2    system to provide auditing program information as approved
3    by the Board. The central communications system shall use
4    a standard industry protocol, as defined by the Gaming
5    Standards Association, and shall have the functionality to
6    enable the Board or its designee to activate or deactivate
7    individual gaming devices from the central communications
8    system. In no event may the communications system approved
9    by the Board limit participation to only one manufacturer
10    of video gaming terminals by either the cost in
11    implementing the necessary program modifications to
12    communicate or the inability to communicate with the
13    central communications system.
14        (16) The Board, in its discretion, may require video
15    gaming terminals to display Amber Alert messages if the
16    Board makes a finding that it would be economically and
17    technically feasible and pose no risk to the integrity and
18    security of the central communications system and video
19    gaming terminals.
20        (17) The Board, in its discretion, may require video
21    gaming terminals to display a message informing players
22    they may round their winnings down to the nearest whole
23    dollar amount and donate the difference to the special
24    causes described in Section 21.4 of the Illinois Lottery
25    Law.
26    Licensed terminal handlers shall have access to video

 

 

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1gaming terminals, including, but not limited to, logic door
2access, without the physical presence or supervision of the
3Board or its agent to perform, in coordination with and with
4project approval from the central communication system
5provider:
6        (i) the clearing of the random access memory and
7    reprogramming of the video gaming terminal;
8        (ii) the installation of new video gaming terminal
9    software and software upgrades that have been approved by
10    the Board;
11        (iii) the placement, connection to the central
12    communication system, and go-live operation of video
13    gaming terminals at a licensed establishment, licensed
14    truck stop establishment, licensed large truck stop
15    establishment, licensed fraternal establishment, or
16    licensed veterans establishment;
17        (iv) the repair and maintenance of a video gaming
18    terminal located at a licensed establishment, licensed
19    truck stop establishment, licensed large truck stop
20    establishment, licensed fraternal establishment, or
21    licensed veterans establishment, including, but not
22    limited to, the replacement of the video gaming terminal
23    with a new video gaming terminal;
24        (v) the temporary movement, disconnection,
25    replacement, and reconnection of video gaming terminals to
26    allow for physical improvements and repairs at a licensed

 

 

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1    establishment, licensed truck stop establishment, licensed
2    large truck stop establishment, licensed fraternal
3    establishment, or licensed veterans establishment, such as
4    replacement of flooring, interior repairs, and other
5    similar activities; and
6        (vi) such other functions as the Board may otherwise
7    authorize.
8    The Board shall, at a licensed terminal operator's
9expense, cause all keys and other required devices to be
10provided to a terminal operator necessary to allow the
11licensed terminal handler access to the logic door to the
12terminal operator's video gaming terminals.
13    The Board may adopt rules to establish additional criteria
14to preserve the integrity and security of video gaming in this
15State. The central communications system vendor may be
16licensed as a video gaming terminal manufacturer or a video
17gaming terminal distributor, or both, but in no event shall
18the central communications system vendor be licensed as a
19video gaming terminal operator.
20    The Board shall adopt rules to establish additional
21criteria and processes to enable video gaming terminals and
22payout machines to offer players the option to round winnings
23down to the nearest whole dollar amount or $0 and donate the
24difference to the State Lottery Fund for distribution to the
25Special Causes in accordance with Section 21.4 of the Illinois
26Lottery Law.

 

 

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1    The Board shall not permit the development of information
2or the use by any licensee of gaming device or individual game
3performance data. Nothing in this Act shall inhibit or
4prohibit the Board from the use of gaming device or individual
5game performance data in its regulatory duties. The Board
6shall adopt rules to ensure that all licensees are treated and
7all licensees act in a non-discriminatory manner and develop
8processes and penalties to enforce those rules.
9(Source: P.A. 101-31, eff. 6-28-19.)
 
10    (230 ILCS 40/20)
11    Sec. 20. Video gaming terminal payouts.
12    (a) A video gaming terminal may not directly dispense
13coins, cash, tokens, or any other article of exchange or value
14except for receipt tickets. Tickets shall be dispensed by
15pressing the ticket dispensing button on the video gaming
16terminal at the end of one's turn or play. The ticket shall
17indicate the total amount of credits and the cash award, the
18total amount to be donated to the special causes through the
19State Lottery Fund, the time of day in a 24-hour format showing
20hours and minutes, the date, the terminal serial number, the
21sequential number of the ticket, and an encrypted validation
22number from which the validity of the prize may be determined.
23The player shall turn in this ticket to the appropriate person
24at the licensed establishment, licensed truck stop
25establishment, licensed large truck stop establishment,

 

 

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1licensed fraternal establishment, or licensed veterans
2establishment to receive the cash award.
3    (b) The cost of the credit shall be one cent, 5 cents, 10
4cents, 25 cents, or $1, and the maximum wager played per hand
5shall not exceed $4. No cash award for the maximum wager on any
6individual hand shall exceed $1,199. No cash award for the
7maximum wager on a jackpot, progressive or otherwise, shall
8exceed $10,000.
9    (c) In-location bonus jackpot games are hereby authorized.
10The Board shall adopt emergency rules pursuant to Section 5-45
11of the Illinois Administrative Procedure Act to implement this
12subsection (c) within 90 days after the effective date of this
13amendatory Act of the 101st General Assembly. Jackpot winnings
14from in-location progressive games shall be paid by the
15terminal operator to the player not later than 3 days after
16winning such a jackpot.
17(Source: P.A. 101-31, eff. 6-28-19.)