The Electronic Gambling Lab is responsible for testing gambling equipment for compliance before it is installed in the Tribal casinos and licensed Card Rooms of Washington.

EGL Operations Due to COVID-19

The Washington State Gambling Commission’s Electronic Gambling Lab will be accepting all submissions from all manufacturers with no limitations. As a reminder, if submissions are not fully setup and operational once we receive the independent test lab certification, the submission will receive a Required Action Notice immediately. We will also issue Orphan Disapprovals for any independent test lab certifications that are received without a submission.

Please note that WSGC is still closed to the public so licensee access to the WSGC lab will remain the same – all visits must be scheduled in advance to ensure that EGL staff are present to escort and assist. EGL staff are working a hybrid schedule, conducting as much work remotely as possible, so there will not always be someone physically present at the WSGC Lab. Licensees will not be able to “drop in” or “stop by”. Appointments can be scheduled by contacting the EGL Lead Engineer of your system.

To ensure that the WSGC lab is safe for all WSGC staff and licensees, the following safety measures and guidelines will remain in place for anyone that wishes to access the building:

• Upon arrival, all licensees will be asked questions related to health conditions that they will need to answer prior to being allowed to enter the lab. If the response to any of these questions leads the screener to believe there is a COVID-19 risk based on public health factors/symptoms established by our state and local public health authorities, this person may not enter the lab and will need to reschedule for a later date.
• Temperatures of licensees will be taken, in-person, when they arrive on-site.
• Name of licensee(s), times of arrival and departure will be logged by EGL staff.
• Licensees are encouraged to wear a face covering the entire time they are in the WSGC lab. Face coverings will be provided by WSGC to those who do not have one.
• Licensees will come through the side entrance (nearest the parking lot) instead of the main public entrance. They can call or email to let the EGL Lead Engineer know they are there so that someone can let them in.
• Licensees will practice social distancing.
• Licensees will sanitize all surfaces they have touched when they leave the area.

EGL staff will be required to follow the same process and guidelines as the licensees.

Roles and Responsibilities

• Test Commercial and Tribal gambling equipment submitted by licensed manufacturers
• Verify compliance of Tribal Lottery Systems with Compact and Appendix X2 requirements
• Verify compliance of Electronic Gambling equipment with associated RCW and WAC rules
• Identify weaknesses in systems, software and physical and logical security
• Develop training for Tribal Gaming Agents and WSGC Agents on approved gambling equipment and Tribal Lottery Systems in Washington State
• Assist WSGC and Tribal Gaming Agents with security reviews at casinos in Washington State
• Provide expert level knowledge of approved Tribal Lottery Systems during the investigation of any issue or complaint in the field
• Liaison to Independent Test Labs, Tribes, State, staff and the public

Components of the Tribal Lottery System

Central Determination System – A collection of secured computers located at a casino that randomizes the electronic scratch ticket outcomes (wins/losses) of a game and delivers them in a predetermined order to the player terminals on the casino floor.

Accounting System – A collection of secured computers located at a casino that track cash, vouchers and player points used to make wagers on the player terminals. The accounting system tracks the money in and out of the player terminals, cashier stations and kiosks and provide reports for the day to day financial income and liability of the casino.

Player Terminals – A machine that provides the graphical representation of each electronic scratch ticket outcome (win/loss) for a game that is delivered to the player at the machine.

The central determination system, accounting system and player terminals communicate on a closed network within the casino and collectively make up the Tribal Lottery System.

Electronic Gambling Equipment

Electronic Gambling Equipment is any device, gambling related software or paraphernalia used as part of gambling or to make gambling possible.

As stated in WAC 230-03-200, Gambling equipment includes, but is not limited to:

• Amusement Games;
• Punchboard/Pulltab;
• Devices for dispensing pull tabs;
• Electronic devices for conducting, facilitating, or accounting for the results of gambling activities, including, but not limited to:
  • Components of a tribal lottery system;
  • Electronic devices for reading and displaying outcomes of gambling activities; and
• Accounting systems that are a part of, or directly connected to, a gambling system including, but not limited to:
  • Bet totalizers; or
  • Progressive jackpot meters; or
  • Keno systems;
  • Bingo equipment;
• Devices and supplies used to conduct card games, fund-raising events, recreational gaming activities, or Class III gaming activities, as defined in the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act at U.S.C. 25 chapter 29 § 2703 and in tribal-state compacts including, but not limited to:
  • Gambling chips;
  • Cards;
  • Dice;
  • Card shuffling devices;
  • Graphical game layouts for table games;
  • Ace finders or no-peek devices;
  • Roulette wheels;
  • Keno equipment; and
  • Tables manufactured exclusively for gambling purposes