|
February 26, 1999
Remarks by Elizabeth Carpentier, Director, South Carolina Department of
Revenue
News Conference, February 26, 1999
Today, we are pleased to announce that all the elements of the video poker
monitoring system are in place. The system is ready. The state =s responsibility -- the
central mainframe computer operation -- has been ready since August 1998. A location
controller was approved in October 1998.
And today, a video poker machine manufactured by Integrated System Design
has been certified by Gaming Laboratories International, the independent testing lab, and
has been set up with the central system.
We ARE ready.
In just six weeks since Governor Hodges took office, we have made gigantic
leaps forward in making sure this system will work. Governor Hodges is committed to making
video poker monitoring a reality as the next step in regulating this industry.
The first machine to be certified by the testing lab is the ISD ADouble Up Poker@ game, the one you see
here in our testing center.
While this is the first machine, others are now at the lab in New Jersey
going through testing. As machines are certified, we will be posting that information on
our website.
Because there has been so much misinformation about what the monitoring
system will do, I =d like to set the record straight on its capabilities.
First and most importantly, the monitoring system is a computer -- a
machine. It is not a human. It provides information to DOR and SLED.
The monitoring system will dial up by modem all location controllers each
day and download all machine data. We =ll know how much money went into the machine, the number and amount
of cash-out tickets and whether the machine was opened.
The system will limit the cash-out ticket to $125 and then clear all
remaining credits. But because the machine doesn =t know who is playing, the system doesn=t stop that player from
putting more money in that same machine or another at the same location. The cash payouts
will still be made by employees of the establishment. Enforcement of the current $125 per
person per location per day payout limit will still be a onerous task requiring a
substantial increase in SLED officers.
Nevertheless, the video poker monitoring system will be an important tool
in getting a handle on this industry. And today we have the next piece to move forward.
I particularly want to thank Al Hoy, Ted Lightle and the staff at OIR;
Todd Elsasser and James Maida from GLI; Jerry Young and Mark Zetzmann from IGT and IGD;
John Hafezi from ISD; and Ike Nooe, Terry Garber, John Lee and the rest of the team at
DOR.
|
