Ohio Code 2915.15 – Approval, inspection, removal from service of electronic instant bingo system
(A)(1) Before selling, offering to sell, or otherwise providing or offering to provide an electronic instant bingo system to any person for use in this state, a manufacturer shall submit the electronic instant bingo system to an independent testing laboratory that is licensed by the state lottery commission under section 3770.02 of the Revised Code, or that is certified under section 3772.31 of the Revised Code, for testing and evaluation to determine whether the electronic instant bingo system meets the requirements of this chapter and of rules adopted under this chapter. The manufacturer shall pay all costs of that testing and evaluation.
Terms Used In Ohio Code 2915.15
- Another: when used to designate the owner of property which is the subject of an offense, includes not only natural persons but also every other owner of property. See Ohio Code 1.02
- Bingo: means either of the following:
(1) A game with all of the following characteristics:
(a) The participants use bingo cards or sheets, including paper formats and electronic representation or image formats, that are divided into twenty-five spaces arranged in five horizontal and five vertical rows of spaces, with each space, except the central space, being designated by a combination of a letter and a number and with the central space being designated as a free space. See Ohio Code 2915.01
- Distributor: means any person who purchases or obtains bingo supplies and who does either of the following:
(1) Sells, offers for sale, or otherwise provides or offers to provide the bingo supplies to another person for use in this state;
(2) Modifies, converts, adds to, or removes parts from the bingo supplies to further their promotion or sale for use in this state. See Ohio Code 2915.01
- Electronic instant bingo: means a form of bingo that consists of an electronic or digital representation of instant bingo in which a participant wins a prize if the participant's electronic instant bingo ticket contains a combination of numbers or symbols that was designated in advance as a winning combination, and to which all of the following apply:
(a) Each deal has a predetermined, finite number of winning and losing tickets and a predetermined prize amount and deal structure, provided that there may be multiple winning combinations in each deal and multiple winning tickets. See Ohio Code 2915.01
- Electronic instant bingo system: means both of the following:
(1) A mechanical, electronic, digital, or video device and associated software to which all of the following apply:
(a) It is used by not more than one player at a time to play electronic instant bingo on a single screen that is physically connected to the device;
(b) It is located on the premises of the principal place of business of a veteran's or fraternal organization that holds a type II or type III bingo license to conduct electronic instant bingo at that location issued under section 2915. See Ohio Code 2915.01
- Instant bingo: means a form of bingo that shall use folded or banded tickets or paper cards with perforated break-open tabs, a face of which is covered or otherwise hidden from view to conceal a number, letter, or symbol, or set of numbers, letters, or symbols, some of which have been designated in advance as prize winners, and may also include games in which some winners are determined by the random selection of one or more bingo numbers by the use of a seal card or bingo blower. See Ohio Code 2915.01
- Manufacturer: means any person who assembles completed bingo supplies from raw materials, other items, or subparts or who modifies, converts, adds to, or removes parts from bingo supplies to further their promotion or sale. See Ohio Code 2915.01
- Person: includes an individual, corporation, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, and association. See Ohio Code 1.59
- Rule: includes regulation. See Ohio Code 1.59
- Slot machine: means either of the following:
(a) Any mechanical, electronic, video, or digital device that is capable of accepting anything of value, directly or indirectly, from or on behalf of a player who gives the thing of value in the hope of gain;
(b) Any mechanical, electronic, video, or digital device that is capable of accepting anything of value, directly or indirectly, from or on behalf of a player to conduct bingo or a scheme or game of chance. See Ohio Code 2915.01
- state: means the state of Ohio. See Ohio Code 1.59
(2) If the independent testing laboratory certifies that the electronic instant bingo system meets the requirements of this chapter and of rules adopted under this chapter, the manufacturer may submit the electronic instant bingo system, along with a copy of the laboratory’s certification and a fee established by the attorney general by rule under Chapter 119 of the Revised Code, to the attorney general for review and approval. The manufacturer also shall submit a fee established by the attorney general by rule under Chapter 119 of the Revised Code, which the attorney general shall use to pay the cost of reviewing and approving electronic instant bingo systems under division (A) of this section.
(3) The attorney general shall approve the system for use in this state if the attorney general determines that the electronic instant bingo system meets the requirements of this chapter and of the rules adopted under this chapter. The attorney general shall consult the Ohio casino control commission for assistance in determining whether an electronic instant bingo system is prohibited for use under this chapter on the ground that it is a slot machine.
(4) An electronic instant bingo system shall be verified and sealed by the attorney general before the electronic instant bingo system is placed into service.
(5) Before an electronic instant bingo system is removed from service, the attorney general’s seal shall be removed by the attorney general’s designee. If the seal is removed after an electronic instant bingo system is sealed by the attorney general but before the electronic instant bingo system is placed into service, or if the seal is removed before an electronic instant bingo system is removed from service, or if the seal is removed by someone other than the attorney general’s designee, the electronic instant bingo system shall be returned to an independent testing laboratory described in division (A)(1) of this section.
(B) Any electronic instant bingo system approved for use in this state shall have a central server located in Ohio which is accessible to the attorney general and shall include an internal report management system that records information concerning the operation of the system and that meets the requirements adopted by the attorney general by rule under Chapter 119 of the Revised Code. The internal report management system shall permit the attorney general or another person designated by the attorney general to access the internal report management system, monitor the electronic instant bingo system, and remotely deactivate the electronic instant bingo system or any aspect of the system.
(C) The attorney general may inspect any electronic instant bingo system in use in this state at any time to ensure that the system is in compliance with this chapter and with the rules adopted under this chapter. If the attorney general determines that any person or any electronic instant bingo system is in violation of any provision of this chapter or of any rule adopted under this chapter, the attorney general may order that the violation immediately cease and may deactivate the electronic instant bingo system or any aspect of it.
(D) The attorney general may establish by rule adopted under Chapter 119 of the Revised Code an annual fee to be paid by distributors licensed under section 2915.081 of the Revised Code who have electronic instant bingo distributor endorsements to their licenses in order to pay the cost of monitoring the systems under division (B) of this section and the cost of inspecting systems under division (C) of this section.
Last updated September 9, 2021 at 12:24 PM