11 Va. Admin. Code § 10-47-80

Current through Register Vol. 41, No. 8, December 2, 2024

Section 11VAC10-47-80 - Equipment required for pari-mutuel wagering on historical horse races

A. Wagering on historical horse races shall be offered on terminals that include a cabinet in which the electronics and other operating components are located. All terminals and other equipment shall be subject to inspection by the commission.

B. The terminal shall:

1. Protect against electrostatic interference by being grounded so that static discharge energy shall not permanently damage or inhibit the normal operation of the electronics or other components within the wagering terminal. In the event that a temporary disruption of the normal operation of a wagering terminal occurs as a result of an electrostatic discharge, the wagering terminal shall have the capacity to recover and complete any interrupted wager without loss or corruption of any control or critical data information. Each terminal shall be tested to a maximum discharge severity level of 27 kV air discharge;

2. Not be adversely affected, other than during resets, by surges or dips of up to 20% of the supply voltage. If a wagering terminal is designed such that a surge or dip of up to 20% of the supply voltage causes a reset, the terminal shall also be designed so that a surge or dip shall not result in damage to the equipment or loss or corruption of data. Upon reset, the game shall return to its previous state or return to a game completion state, provided the game history and all credit and accounting meters comprehend a completed game;

3. Have an on/off switch that controls the electrical current installed in a readily accessible location within the interior of the terminal so that power cannot be disconnected from outside of the terminal using the on/off switch. The on/off positions of the switch shall be labeled;

4. Be designed so that power and data cables into and out of the terminal can be routed so that they are not accessible to the general public. Security-related wires and cables that are routed into a logic area shall be securely fastened within the interior of the terminal;

5. Have an identification badge affixed to the exterior of the terminal by the manufacturer that is not removable without leaving evidence of tampering. This badge shall include the following information:

a. The name of the manufacturer;

b. A unique serial number;

c. The terminal model number; and

d. The date of manufacture;

6. Have an external tower light located conspicuously on the top of the terminal that automatically illuminates when a patron has won an amount that the terminal cannot automatically pay or when an error condition has occurred;

7. Be constructed of materials that are designed to allow only authorized access to the inside of the terminal. The terminal and its locks, doors, and associated hinges shall be capable of withstanding determined and unauthorized efforts to gain access to the inside of the terminal and shall be designed to leave evidence of tampering if such an entry is made;

8. Have seals between the terminal and the doors of a locked area that are designed to resist the use of tools or other objects used to breach the locked area by physical force;

9. Have external doors that shall be locked and monitored by door access sensors. When the external doors are opened, the door access sensors shall (i) cause game wagering activity to cease, (ii) disable all currency acceptance, (iii) enter an error condition, (iv) illuminate the tower light at a minimum, and (v) record the error condition. The requirements of this subsection do not apply to the drop box door;

10. Have external doors designed so that it shall not be possible to insert a device into the terminal that will disable a "door open" sensor without leaving evidence of tampering when the door of the terminal is shut;

11. Have a sensor system that shall provide notification that an external door is open when the door is moved from its fully closed and locked position, provided power is supplied to the device;

12. Have a logic area, which is a separately locked cabinet area with its own monitored, locked door or other monitored, locked covering that houses electronic components that have the potential to significantly influence the operation of the terminal. There may be more than one such logic area in a terminal. The electronic components housed in the logic area shall include:

a. A central processing unit and any program storage device that contains software that may affect the integrity of wagering, including the game accounting, system communication, and peripheral firmware devices involved in or that significantly influence the operation and calculation of game play, game display, game result determination, or game accounting, revenue, or security;

b. Communication controller electronics and components housing the communication program storage device; and

c. The nonvolatile memory backup device, which if located in the logic area, shall be kept within a locked logic area; and

13. Have a currency storage area that is separately keyed and fitted with sensors that indicate "door open/close" or "stacker receptacle removed," provided power is supplied to the device. Access to the currency storage area shall be secured by two locks before the currency can be removed. The locks shall be located on the relevant outer door and on at least one other door.

C. Critical memory storage shall be maintained by a methodology that enables errors to be identified. This methodology shall include signatures, checksums, partial checksums, multiple copies, timestamps, effective use of validity codes, or any combination of these methods.

D. Comprehensive checks of critical memory shall be made following game initiation but prior to display of game outcome to the patron.

E. An unrecoverable corruption of critical memory shall result in an error state. The memory error shall not be cleared automatically and shall cause the terminal to cease further functioning. The critical memory error shall also cause any communication external to the terminal to immediately cease. An unrecoverable critical memory error shall require restoration or clearing of software state by an authorized person.

F. If critical memory is maintained in nonvolatile memory on the terminal and not by the server based system, then:

1. The terminal shall have the ability to retain data for all critical memory as defined in this section and shall be capable of maintaining the accuracy of the data for 30 days after power is discontinued from the terminal;

2. For rechargeable battery types only, if the battery backup is used as an off-chip battery source, it shall recharge itself to its full potential in a maximum of 24 hours. The shelf life of the battery shall be at least five years;

3. Nonvolatile memory that uses an off-chip backup power source to retain its contents when the main power is switched off shall have a detection system that will provide a method for software to interpret and act upon a low battery condition before the battery reaches a level where it is no longer capable of maintaining the memory in question. Clearing nonvolatile memory shall require access to the locked logic area or other secure method, provided that the method is approved by the commission; and

4. Following the initiation of a nonvolatile memory reset procedure, the game program shall execute a routine that initializes all bits in critical nonvolatile memory to the default state. All memory locations intended to be cleared as per the nonvolatile memory clear process shall be fully reset in all cases.

G. Critical memory of a server-based game may be maintained by the server, terminal, or some combination thereof. The critical memory related to each terminal shall:

1. Be kept independent to all other wagering terminals. If corruption occurs in any single terminal's critical memory no other terminal shall be effected by the terminal's corrupt memory state; and

2. Be clearly identified as to which physical terminal the critical memory represents, through unique identification, such as serial number or other unique terminal hardware identifier.

H. All terminals shall be equipped with a device, mechanism, or method for retaining the value of the meter information specified in 11VAC10-47-10 in the event of a loss of power to the terminal. Storage and retrieval of the accounting meters from a server is an acceptable method of retrieval.

I. Configuration setting changes shall not cause an obstruction to the meters.

J. If the terminal is in a test, diagnostic, or demonstration mode, any test that incorporates credits entering or leaving the terminal shall be completed prior to resumption of normal operation. In addition, there shall not be any mode other than normal wagering operation that debits or credits any of the electronic meters. Any wagering credits on the terminal that were accrued during the test, diagnostic, or demonstration mode shall be cleared before the mode is exited. Specific meters are permissible for these types of modes, provided the meters are clearly identified.

K. Terminals shall not allow any information contained in a communication to or from the online monitoring system that is intended to be protected, including validation information, secure PINs, credentials, or secure seeds and keys, to be viewable through any display mechanism supported by the terminal.

L. All program storage devices shall:

1. Be housed within a fully enclosed and locked logic compartment;

2. Validate themselves during each processor reset; and

3. Validate themselves the first time they are used.

M. Program storage devices that do not have the ability to be modified while installed in the terminal during normal operation shall be clearly marked with information to identify the software and revision level of the information stored in the devices.

N. Terminals shall have the ability to allow for an independent integrity check of all software that may affect the integrity of the game. The integrity check shall be by an independent testing laboratory approved by the commission.

1. The independent testing laboratory's software may be embedded within the game software, utilize an interface port to communicate with the terminal, or require the removal of terminal media for external verification.

2. Each terminal used for wagering on historical horse races shall be tested by the independent testing laboratory to ensure its integrity and proper working order. This evaluation shall include a review of installed software prior to implementation and periodically within a timeframe established by the commission.

3. The licensee shall pay the cost of the independent testing laboratory's review and testing, and the reports of the same shall be delivered to the licensee and the commission.

4. To ensure the integrity of pari-mutuel wagering and validity of the race results, the licensee shall permit an integrity auditor, selected and paid for by the commission, complete access to review and monitor the integrity, security, and operation, including all race and handicapping data used in order to detect any compromise of or anomalies that would allow a player to have an unfair advantage.

5. The integrity auditor shall be in a position to extract actual data and use a statistically significant portion of this data applied to quality assurance testing and assess the validity of the vendor's management reporting by cross-referencing to a body of raw source information to determine correctness. The integrity auditor shall have experience and expertise involving all components of pari-mutuel wagering and totalizator systems.

6. The integrity auditor will collect and provide wagering data and reports from the licensee's vendor. This shall include pari-mutuel commission and liability reports for analysis and verification of the amounts wagered, payouts, takeout, and taxes in addition to all transactional data logs and reports daily as specified by the integrity auditor.

7. The licensee shall provide access to the integrity auditor to conduct periodic onsite inspections and terminal audits at licensed racetracks and satellite wagering facilities with assistance from the vendor. The licensee shall supply advanced notification, when possible, of at least 30 calendar days of all new game products, changes in the composition of the historic horse races in the library, any changes to reporting or the method of provision of those reports, and any adverse or unusual occurrences relating to the operation of play or payouts to the integrity auditor.

O. Winning pari-mutuel wagers shall be processed according to U.S. Internal Revenue Service reporting requirements for the taxation of pari-mutuel horse racing. If a winning amount is in excess of the thresholds established in the Internal Revenue Service reporting requirements, the terminal shall cease operation and require attendant interaction to proceed.

P. Terminals shall be capable of detecting and displaying the following errors:

1. Open door conditions;

2. Nonvolatile memory errors;

3. Low nonvolatile memory battery for batteries external to the nonvolatile memory itself for low power source;

4. Program error or authentication mismatch;

5. Display device errors; and

6. The identification of an invalid bill or voucher.

Q. Detection of terminal error conditions must result in actions to protect the integrity of the game. Following detection of an error condition:

1. The terminal shall secure itself and it shall:

a. Cause the terminal to cease play and require attendant intervention prior to returning to normal play;

b. Cause the terminal to display an appropriate error message;

c. Disable bill and voucher acceptance;

d. Sound an alarm, illuminate the tower light, display the error on screen, or any combination of the three;

e. Be communicated to an online monitoring and control system;

f. Be displayed on a terminal; and

g. Cause the terminal to remain in error mode if the terminal is powered down with an unresolved error condition, unless power down is used as a part of the error reset procedure.

2. Upon resolution of an error condition, a terminal may return to a wager completion state, provided the game history, wagering credits, and other meters display the completed wager properly.

R. Terminals shall not be adversely affected by the simultaneous or sequential activation of various terminal inputs and outputs.

S. Test, diagnostic, or demonstration modes on a terminal shall:

1. Be entered only from an attendant following appropriate instructions;

2. Not be accessible to a patron; and

3. Be indicated on the terminal via an appropriate message.

T. Upon exiting from test, diagnostic, or demonstration mode, a terminal shall return to its previous state.

U. Video monitor touch screens on terminals shall:

1. Be accurate within one millimeter of the center of a physical input;

2. Be able to be calibrated without access to the terminal cabinet other than opening the main door, and once calibrated shall maintain accuracy for at least the video touch screen manufacturer's recommended maintenance period; and

3. Have no hidden or undocumented buttons or touch points anywhere on the screen that affect wagering or that impact the outcome of the game, except as provided by the game rules.

V. Paper currency acceptors used in a terminal shall:

1. Be electronically based;

2. Detect the entry of bills or vouchers inserted into the paper currency acceptor and provide a method to enable the terminal software to interpret and act appropriately upon a valid or invalid input;

3. Be configured to ensure the acceptance of only valid bills or vouchers and reject all other items;

4. Return to the patron all rejected bills or vouchers, and any other item inserted into the acceptor;

5. Be constructed in a manner that protects against vandalism, abuse, or fraudulent activity;

6. Register the actual monetary value or appropriate number of wagering credits received for the denomination used on the patron's credit meter for each valid bill or voucher;

7. Register wagering credits only when the bill or other note has passed the point where it is accepted or stacked and the acceptor has sent an "irrevocably stacked" message to the terminal;

8. Be designed to prevent the use of fraudulent crediting, the insertion of foreign objects, and any other fraudulent technique;

9. Implement a method of detecting counterfeit bills;

10. Only accept bills or vouchers when the terminal is enabled for play;

11. Have the capability of detecting and displaying any supported error conditions;

12. Shall communicate with the terminal using a bi-directional protocol;

13. Be located in a locked area of the terminal that requires the opening of the main door for access. The paper currency acceptor shall not be located in the logic area. Only the bill or voucher insertion area shall be accessible by the patron;

14. Have a secure stacker that shall:

a. Deposit into the stacker all accepted items;

b. Be attached to the terminal in such a manner that it cannot be easily removed by physical force; and

c. Have a separate keyed lock to access the stacker area. The keyed lock shall be separate from the main door, and a separate keyed lock shall be required to remove the bills from the stacker; and

15. Have a bill validator that shall:

a. Retain in its memory and have the ability to display the information required of the last 25 items accepted by the bill validator;

b. Have a recall log that may be combined or maintained separately by item type. If combined, the type of item accepted shall be recorded with the respective timestamp; and

c. Give proper credit or return the bill or note if power failure occurs during acceptance of a bill or note.

W. Available wagering credit may be collected from the terminal by the patron at any time other than during:

1. A game being wagered;

2. Audit mode;

3. Test mode;

4. A credit meter or win meter increment; or

5. An error condition.

X. Each terminal shall be equipped with a printer that:

1. Is used to make payments to the patron by issuing a printed voucher. The terminal shall transmit the following data to an online system that records the following information regarding each payout ticket or voucher printed:

a. The value of credits in local monetary units in numerical form;

b. The time of day the ticket or voucher was printed in 24-hour format, showing hours and minutes;

c. The date, in format approved by the commission, indicating the day, month, and year that the ticket or voucher was issued;

d. The terminal number; and

e. A unique ticket or voucher validation number.

2. Prints only one copy to the patron and retains information on the last 25 printed vouchers;

3. Is housed in a locked area of the terminal but shall not be located within the logic area or the drop box; and

4. Allows control program software to interpret and act upon all error conditions.

Y. Terminals shall be capable of displaying wager recall, which shall:

1. Include the last 50 wagers on the terminal;

2. Be retrievable on the terminal via an external key-switch or other secure method not available to the patron; and

3. Provide all information required to fully reconstruct the wagers, including:

a. Initial credits or ending credits associated with the wager;

b. Credits wagered;

c. Credits won;

d. Entertaining game display symbol combinations and credits paid whether the outcome resulted in a win or a loss;

e. Representation in a graphical or text format;

f. Final wager outcome, including all patron choices and all bonus features; and

g. As an optional feature, display of values as currency in place of wagering credits.

Z. Server-stored information shall be backed up no less often than once per day to an offsite storage facility controlled by the licensee. Offsite storage may include storage through a cloud service provider if approved by the commission. The server and offsite backup storage shall be accessible to the commission and subject to third-party checks and validation as provided in subsection N of this section.

AA. Excluding machines installed as of March 1, 2020, each location operating historical racing terminals shall be prohibited from having more than 40% of its terminals manufactured by any single manufacturer.

11 Va. Admin. Code § 10-47-80

Derived From Virginia Register Volume 35, Issue 05, eff. 10/5/2018; Amended, Virginia Register Volume 37, Issue 02, eff. 10/14/2020.

Statutory Authority: § 59.1-369 of the Code of Virginia.