W. Va. Code § 29-22-9 — WV Code / Chapter 29 / Article 22 / Section 9
§29-22-9. Initiation and operation of lottery; restrictions; prohibited themes, games, machines, or devices; distinguishing numbers; winner selection; public drawings; witnessing of results; testing and inspection of equipment; price of tickets; claim for and payment of prizes; invalid, counterfeit tickets; estimated prizes and odds of winning; participant bound by lottery rules and validation procedures; security procedures; additional games; electronic and computer systems.
Status: in_force

(a) The commission shall initiate operation of the state lottery on a continuous basis at the earliest feasible and practical time, first initiating operation of the preprinted instant winner type lottery. The lottery shall be initiated and shall continue to be operated so as to produce the maximum amount of net revenues to benefit the public purpose described in this article consonant with the public good. Other state government departments, boards, commissions, agencies, and their officers shall cooperate with the Lottery Commission so as to aid the Lottery Commission in fulfilling these objectives.

(b) The commission shall promulgate rules and regulations specifying the types of lottery games to be conducted by the lottery. These rules and regulations shall provide that:

(1) No lottery may use the results of any amateur or professional sporting event, dog race, or horse race to determine the winner except as authorized under §29-22D-1 et seq. of this code.

(2) Electronic video lottery systems must include a central site system of monitoring the lottery terminals utilizing an online or dial-up inquiry.

(3) In a lottery utilizing a ticket, each ticket shall bear a unique number distinguishing it from each other ticket.

(4) No lottery utilizing a machine may use machines which dispense coins or currency.

(5) Selection of the winner must be predicted totally on chance.

(6) Any drawings or winner selections shall be held in public and witnessed by an independent accountant designated by the director for such purposes.

(7) All lottery equipment and materials shall be regularly inspected and tested, before and after any drawings or winner selections, by independent qualified technicians.

(8) The director shall establish the price for each lottery and determine the method of selecting winners and the manner of payment of prizes, including providing for payment by the purchase of annuities for prizes payable in installments.

(9) All claims for prizes shall be examined and no prize shall be paid as a result of altered, stolen, or counterfeit tickets or materials, or which fail to meet validation rules or regulations established for a lottery. No prize shall be paid more than once and, in the event of a binding determination by the commission that more than one person is entitled to a particular prize, the sole remedy of the claimants shall be the award to each of them of an equal share in the single prize.

(10) A detailed tabulation of the estimated number of prizes of each particular prize denomination that are expected to be awarded in each lottery, or the estimated odds of winning such prizes shall be printed on any lottery ticket, where feasible, or in descriptive materials, and shall be available at the offices of the commission.

(11) No prizes shall be paid which are invalid and not contemplated by the prize structure of the lottery involved.

(12) By purchasing a ticket or participation in a lottery, a participant agrees to abide by, and be bound by, the lottery rules which apply to the lottery or game play involved. An abbreviated form of such rules may appear on tickets and shall appear on descriptive materials and shall be available at the offices of the commission. A participant in a lottery agrees that the determination of whether the participant is a valid winner is subject to the lottery or game play rules and the winner validation tests established by the commission. The determination of the winner by the commission shall be final and binding upon all participants in a lottery and shall not be subject to review or appeal.

(13) The commission shall institute such security procedures as it deems necessary to ensure the honesty and integrity of the winner selection process for each lottery. All such security and validation procedures and techniques shall be, and remain, confidential and shall not be subject to any discovery procedure in any civil, judicial, administrative, or other proceeding, nor subject to the provisions of §29B-1-1 et seq. of this code.

(c) The commission shall proceed with operation of such additional lottery games, including the implementation of games utilizing a variety of existing or future technological advances at the earliest feasible date. The commission may operate lottery games utilizing electronic computers and electronic computer terminal devices and systems, which systems must include a central site system of monitoring the lottery terminals utilizing direct communication systems, or other technological advances and procedures, ensuring honesty and integrity in the operation of the lottery.