AGA Proposes Changes To Slot Machine Shipping Regulations

The American Gaming Association is urging a regulation change in the shipment of slot machines in a bid to streamline the process.

The association, which represents casinos, game and software providers, is asking for the changes in order to cut down the 1.5 million different regulatory requirements of which they describe, “overly costly and complex.”

365 individual jurisdictions make up 1,000 pages of rules and regulations in order to meet their approval and protect machines from tampering.  The AGA believes modest but significant changes could help the efficiency of slot machine shipment across the United States.

Geoff Freeman, president and CEO said, “For five of the larger manufacturers of gaming machines, these regulations generated nearly 61,000 separate filings over a recent 12-month period, requiring the dedication of 29 full-time and 20 part-time workers.”

The main problem seems to revolve around the inconsistencies in rules in each of the states, provincial and tribal gaming jurisdictions. Only one-fourth of all 365 allow the shipment of complete slot machines, whilst the others require that software and hardware be shipped separately.

Alongside this, notice of shipment and prior approval must be met with regulators but with a varied time period, ranging from one to 15 days across jurisdictions, the rules can become blurred and cause complications for manufacturers across the country.

In a bid to cut out the costly administrative burden and confusion for manufacturers, operators and regulators alike, the group have recommended a series of changes to make the current format more uniform. Among these include allowing the complete shipment of machines across the jurisdictions, with shipping permitted directly to customers also amongst the proposals.

In addition to these rules, the delivery of notice may also be allowed to be taken electronically.

However, this hasn’t been met with approval amongst all of the jurisdictions with Matt Schuler, executive director of Ohio Casino Control Commission drawing the line at some of the recommendations. 

In Ohio, the commission demands a week’s notice on shipments of slot machines with hardware and software to be delivered separately, and Schuler believes the proposals could open the door to illegal diversion in his state saying the state requirements are part of the “fundamental element of ensuring the machine’s integrity so the system is fair to patrons.”

In online gaming on the other hand, slot machines such as Mega Moolah do not require any regulations and are perfectly legal.