Section 68IAC10-1-6.1. Conduct of live gaming device tournaments

  1. (a) Live gaming device tournaments may be conducted by riverboat licensees.

  (b) At least thirty (30) business days before a riverboat licensee plans to offer a live gaming device tournament, the riverboat licensee must submit the rules of tournament play to the commission for approval. No live gaming device tournament may be offered until approved by the commission. The rules of tournament play shall include, at a minimum, the following information:

(1) The amount of the entry fee for participating in the tournament.

(2) The game that will be played.

(3) The qualification or selection criteria that will be used to limit the eligibility of players in a tournament. Any criteria or qualification utilized must be reasonably related to gaming activity.

(4) Any rules of play that differ from the rules submitted by the riverboat licensee in accordance with section 3 of this rule.

(5) The amount of chips or credits, or both, that a player will begin with.

(6) The manner in which players will receive seat and table assignments and how reassignments are to be handled.

(7) How players are eliminated from the tournament and how the winner or winners are determined.

(8) The manner in which ties will be handled.

(9) The number of prizes to be awarded.

(10) The actual cost of the prizes to be awarded.

(11) Whether the patron will have an option of taking the prize or requesting a cash alternative. If such an alternative is offered, the amount of cash the patron may receive.

(12) An exact description of each prize to be awarded.

(13) If the entire pot of entry fees is awarded as prizes, the percentage of the pot that each place will receive.

(14) Whether or not the riverboat licensee will guarantee the dollar value of the prizes if insufficient entry fees are collected.

  (c) The executive director or the executive director's designee shall approve or disapprove the rules within thirty (30) business days of the receipt of the rules.

  (d) The riverboat licensee may deduct only the amount of prizes awarded at cost basis to the extent allowed by subsection (e). The riverboat licensee must document the amount of money expended on prizes awarded in a tournament.

  (e) The riverboat licensee may take a deduction for the prizes awarded in accordance with 68 IAC 15-5-3 in an amount equal to or less than the total amount of the entry fees collected.

  (f) Once rules of tournament play have been approved by the commission for a specified table game, the riverboat licensee may offer a tournament utilizing identical approved rules at any time upon a ten (10) day notification to the commission and a request for approval of the proposed tournament.

  (g) Amendments to approved rules of tournament play must be submitted to the commission at least thirty (30) business days prior to the utilization of the amendments. The executive director or the executive director's designee shall approve or disapprove amendments to rules of tournament play within thirty (30) days of receipt of the amendments. No amendments to rules of tournament play shall be utilized by the riverboat licensee until approved by the commission. (Indiana Gaming Commission; 68 IAC 10-1-6.1; filed Aug 20, 1997, 7:11 a.m.: 21 IR 15; errata, 21 IR 399; readopted filed Nov 25, 2002, 10:11 a.m.: 26 IR 1261; readopted filed Nov 14, 2008, 12:51 p.m.: 20081210-IR-068080730RFA; readopted filed Nov 24, 2014, 10:49 a.m.: 20141224-IR-068140402RFA; filed Nov 13, 2015, 2:37 p.m.: 20151209-IR-068150113FRA)