FAQ
Administrative Case Process & Appeals
PDF Document
Washington State Gambling Commission
P.O. Box 42400
Olympia, WA 98504
360-486-3440
360-486-3629 (fax)
Frequently Asked Questions
Tribal Lottery System
“What is the minimum payout for these machines? Are they “rigged”? Who regulates these machines, anyway? What’s the trick to winning?”
Tribal Lottery Systems (TLS), first introduced in 1999, are seen in all tribal casinos, having quickly replaced traditional table games as the number one gambling activity offered by Washington tribes. Many gamblers are curious about these hybrid machines that are unique to our state. Loyal fans of gaming activities can easily tell you how blackjack works, and they can spend hours schooling you on the ins and outs of craps, but they may come up dry if you ask them how a TLS machine operates.
Here are some quick answers to some frequently asked questions:Select a question in the box below to see its answer
The quick answer is that they are linked lottery terminals where a central computer delivers a virtual “scratch ticket” to a player terminal, upon the request of a casino guest.
No. The virtual scratch tickets are dispensed from a finite “game set” that delivers tickets randomly to two or more terminals. The most common scenario is that players on the same bank (group) of machines are playing from the same game set.
Generally, the bonus rounds are for entertainment purposes only, and your interaction with the machine in these rounds has no impact on the outcome of the ticket that had already been delivered to your player terminal. Certain newer games (such as Monopoly) allow you to play more than one scratch ticket at the same time, or give you as a prize the opportunity to play from a different game set.
Seventy-five percent of the wagers received must be paid back to customers for every game set put into play. Most casinos set the payouts much higher than this.
The primary regulators at the casino are the Tribal Gaming Agencies (TGA’s) of each tribe. Each casino is required to have at least one TGA agent on duty during gaming hours. TGA’s must get involved in machine disputes if casino employees cannot resolve the issue. The Gambling Commission’s Tribal Gaming Unit (TGU) agents conduct regular on-site visits that involve testing of the machines for compliance.
Samples of each component in play are approved by an independent testing lab as well as the Gambling Commission’s Electronic Gambling Lab. The machines in the tribal casinos must match those tested exactly. TGA’s and state agents test the machines to ensure they are identical to approved prototypes.
