Pennsylvania Code › Title 58 - RECREATION › Part VII - GAMING CONTROL BOARD › Subpart K - Table Games › Chapter 603a - TABLE GAME EQUIPMENT › Section 603a.16 - Cards; receipt, storage, inspection and removal from use

Current through Register Vol. 54, No. 28, July 13, 2024
(a) When decks of
				  cards are received from a manufacturer or supplier, the cards shall immediately
				  be unloaded under the supervision of at least two people, one of whom shall be
				  an assistant table games shift manager or above and one employee from the
				  security department, and transported to a secure area which is covered by the
				  slot machine licensee's surveillance system. The boxes of decks of cards shall
				  then be inspected by an assistant table games shift manager or above and one
				  employee from the security department to assure that the seals on each box are
				  intact, unbroken and free from tampering. Boxes that do not satisfy these
				  criteria shall be inspected at this time to assure that the decks of cards
				  contained therein conform to the requirements of this chapter and there is no
				  evidence of tampering. Boxes satisfying these criteria, together with boxes
				  having unbroken, intact and untampered seals shall then be placed for storage
				  in a storage area, the location and physical characteristics of which shall be
				  approved by the Bureau of Casino Compliance in accordance with §
										601a.10(f)
				  (relating to approval of table game layouts, signage and equipment). A
				  certificate holder may have separate cabinets or storage areas for decks of
				  cards to be used at the game of Poker. The location and physical
				  characteristics of the cabinets or separate storage areas shall be approved by
				  the Bureau of Casino Compliance in accordance with § 601a.10(f).
(b) Approved storage areas must have two
				  separate locks. The security department shall maintain one key and the table
				  games department shall maintain the other key. A person employed by the table
				  games department below an assistant table games shift manager in the
				  organizational hierarchy may not have access to the table games department key
				  for the approved storage areas. If the certificate holder has a separate Poker
				  storage area, a person below a Poker shift manager in the organizational
				  hierarchy may not have access to the table games department key to the Poker
				  storage area.
(c) Except as
				  provided in subsection (g), immediately prior to the commencement of each
				  gaming day and at other times as may be necessary, an assistant table games
				  shift manager or above, in the presence of a security department employee,
				  shall remove the appropriate number of decks of cards for that gaming day from
				  the approved storage area. The assistant table games shift manager or above and
				  the security department employee who removed the decks shall distribute
				  sufficient decks to the pit managers or above and, if applicable, to the Poker
				  shift manager. The number of decks distributed must include extra decks that
				  shall be placed in the pit stand for the card reserve. Decks of cards in the
				  pit stand shall be placed in a locked compartment, the keys to which shall be
				  in the possession of the pit managers or above or the Poker shift manager or
				  above.
(d) If the decks are to be
				  inspected at open gaming tables in accordance with subsection (h), the pit
				  manager or above shall distribute the decks to the dealer at each table or the
				  Poker shift manager shall transport the decks to the Poker pit stand for
				  subsequent distribution to the dealer at each Poker table either directly by
				  the Poker shift manager or through the floorperson assigned to supervise the
				  dealer.
(e) If the decks are to be
				  preinspected and preshuffled at a closed gaming table as permitted under
				  subsection (u), the pit manager or above or Poker shift manager shall deliver
				  the decks to the dealer and the floorperson or above at the closed gaming table
				  where the preinspection and preshuffling shall be performed.
(f) If the decks have already been
				  preinspected, preshuffled, sealed in containers and placed in the card storage
				  area as permitted under subsection (u)(8)(ii) or (v), the assistant table games
				  shift manager or above and a security department employee shall transport the
				  number of sealed containers of cards needed for that gaming day to the gaming
				  pits where the cards will be utilized and shall ensure that the containers are
				  locked in the pit stand. A record of the removal of the sealed containers of
				  cards from the approved storage area and the distribution of sealed containers
				  to the gaming pits shall be maintained by the security department in a manner
				  consistent with the certificate holder's internal controls filed in accordance
				  with §
										465a.2 (relating to internal
				  control systems and audit protocols).
(g) If the decks of cards to be used for
				  Poker for that gaming day are removed from the Poker storage area, the Poker
				  shift manager or above and a security department employee shall, prior to the
				  commencement of each gaming day and at other times as may be necessary, remove
				  the appropriate number of decks from the Poker storage area and distribute the
				  decks in accordance with subsection (d), (e) or (f). The number of decks
				  distributed must include extra decks that shall be placed in the pit stand for
				  the card reserve. Decks of cards in the pit stand shall be placed in a locked
				  compartment, the keys to which shall be in the possession of the Poker shift
				  manager or above.
(h) Except for
				  decks of cards that are preinspected and preshuffled in accordance with
				  subsection (u) or (v), the dealer shall sort the cards in each deck according
				  to suit and in sequence to verify that all cards are present and visually
				  inspect the backs of the cards for any defects that might compromise the
				  integrity or fairness of the game. The floorperson or above shall verify the
				  inspection.
(i) If while inspecting
				  the cards in accordance with subsection (h), the dealer finds that a card is
				  unsuitable for use, a card is missing from the deck or an extra card is found,
				  the following procedures shall be observed:
(1) A pit manager or above or a Poker shift
				  manager shall bring a replacement deck of cards from the card reserve in the
				  pit stand.
(2) The unsuitable deck
				  shall be placed in a sealed envelope or container, identified by table number,
				  date and time and signed by the dealer and floorperson assigned to that table
				  or above.
(3) The pit manager or
				  above or a Poker shift manager shall maintain the envelope or container in a
				  secure place within the pit until collection by a security department
				  employee.