Section 316-35-621 - AUTOMATED BALL DRAW SYSTEM621.01 For the purposes of this regulation, the following definitions apply: 621.01A Automated ball draw system means a mechanical and electronic system consisting of machine readable keno balls, an electronic blower device, ball calling unit, glass bowl, control unit, and vision system which: 621.01A(1) Selects the winning numbers for the keno game after the keno operator informs the keno system to begin a new game;621.01A(2) Reads the number of the keno ball by use of the vision system; and621.01A(3) Electronically transmits the number to the keno system as if the keno operator had manually entered the number into the system after confirmation by the vision system of the ball number read. 621.01B No Read condition means the automated ball draw system is unable to read the number of the keno ball.621.01C Misread condition means the automated ball draw system reads the number of the keno ball incorrectly. The number of the ball selected as it appears in the ball calling unit is not the same as the number of the ball transmitted electronically to the keno system.621.01D Keno management personnel means management or administrative personnel of the lottery operator other than an on-site shift manager or shift supervisor in charge of the daily operation of the keno game.621.01E Selected ball means the keno ball selected by the automated ball draw system for a particular wheel position in a particular game. A keno ball is selected when the number of the ball has been electronically transmitted to and recorded by the keno system and the wheel has advanced to the next empty position.621.02 An automated ball draw system and related keno system software may be sold, leased, rented, or otherwise provided in Nebraska only by a licensed manufacturer-distributor of lottery equipment. Unless otherwise authorized by the Department, no automated ball draw system and related keno system software may be sold, leased, rented, or otherwise provided in this state for use in a keno lottery conducted pursuant to the Nebraska County and City Lottery Act unless and until the automated ball draw system and related keno system software has been approved by the Department. Approval is based on conformance with the written requirements of this regulation and any other test criteria established by the Department for the testing and evaluation of these types of systems.621.03 A licensed manufacturer-distributor seeking approval of an automated ball draw system and related keno system software must adhere to the requirements of County and City Lottery Reg-35-617 relating to the submission of lottery equipment for testing and approval.621.04 The vision system consisting of a computer, monitor, and camera may be used only for system set up, monitoring of system performance, and system adjustments and may not perform any functions related to the conduct of the keno lottery except for reading the numbers of the keno balls and electronic transmission of the numbers read either directly or through an approved interface unit to a keno system approved for use in Nebraska. 621.04A The vision system may be maintained only by the manufacturer-distributor of the automated ball draw system or its authorized representative, and operated only by the keno manager on duty.621.04B The camera which reads the numbers of the keno balls must be secured in a locked box or by other means approved by the Department and accessed solely for system set up, adjustments, and required system maintenance by an authorized representative of the licensed manufacturer-distributor of the automated ball draw system or an authorized representative of the lottery operator or sponsoring county, city, or village. The key for a locked box arrangement must be secured by management personnel when not in use.621.04C The keno balls used in conjunction with the automated ball draw system must be supplied by the licensed manufacturer-distributor of the automated ball draw system and approved for use by the Department. The keno balls may be supplied by another licensed manufacturer-distributor of lottery equipment if the keno balls meet the specifications of the licensed manufacturer-distributor of the automated ball draw system and have been approved for use by the Department.621.05 In addition to the technical standards for lottery equipment prescribed in County and City Lottery Reg-35-617.13, all keno systems which communicate directly or through an approved interface unit with an automated ball draw system must include the following characteristics: 621.05A The use of an automated ball draw system for winning number selection must be an option in the system configuration menu which can be enabled only by the licensed manufacturer-distributor of the keno system, its authorized representative, or keno management personnel with appropriate password authorization.621.05B All access to the system configuration menu to enable or disable the automated ball draw system must be recorded on the system exception log.621.05C When the blower is activated on the automated ball draw system, it must send a message to the keno system and receive an acknowledgment which is recorded on the transaction log or system exception log. The transaction log must also reflect that winning number selection for the game was performed by an automated ball draw system.621.05D All numbers selected must be sent to the keno system and recorded on the transaction log for the current game number. If there are not any No Read conditions detected during the winning number selection process, the keno system must verify that no two numbers are the same. If 20 unique numbers are reported, the system records the draw as official and calculates the game results in the same manner as any other method of winning number selection.621.05E If a No Read condition occurs during the winning number selection process or duplicate numbers are supplied to the system, the system must alert the operator of the condition and require the operator to intervene and make the appropriate corrections to the draw before the game is declared official. All No Read conditions and duplicate number occurrences which require operator intervention must be recorded on the transaction log or system exception log and summarized in an end of day report. The system must be capable of maintaining a cumulative record of these occurrences for periodic audit purposes;621.05F Operator intervention to correct a No Read condition may only be performed with authorized password access and is limited to keno managers.621.05G If operator intervention is required to correct a No Read condition, only the numbers not read or duplicate numbers can be changed. The keno system may not allow valid numbers to be changed. All corrections performed by the keno manager must be recorded on the transaction log or system exception log reflecting the ball position not read, the ball number entered, and the user identification number of the individual who made the change; for example, "Ball position 4 manually entered as number 36 by 999."621.05H The edit ball draw feature of the keno system must be disabled when using an automated ball draw system for winning number selection.621.05I If the automated ball draw system malfunctions due to component failure prior to the completion of the draw, the ball draw is invalid and the game must be redrawn after the malfunction has been remedied. All these occurrences must be recorded on the transaction log or system exception log with a notation that the game was redrawn. The operator may initiate a redraw of a game only with authorized password access by the keno manager.621.05J If the keno system powers down or otherwise fails prior to the completion of the draw, the automated ball draw system must continue to send the numbers selected to the keno system until the keno system acknowledges receipt of the information. The keno system must be capable of resuming the winning number selection process from the point when the power went down or the system failed. The keno system must be equipped with an uninterrupted power source (UPS) to minimize the occurrence of power fluctuations or power loss. The UPS must meet the minimum specifications recommended by the licensed manufacturer-distributor of the keno system and must be of sufficient run time to enable the completion of the ball draw process during power fluctuations or power losses of short duration.621.05K If the automated ball draw system powers down or otherwise fails prior to the completion of the draw and it drops all or any of the balls previously selected, the ball draw is invalid and the game must be redrawn after power has been restored to the system or the system is rendered operable again. For the operator to initiate a redraw of a game authorized password access by the keno manager is required. If the system is designed so that none of the balls previously selected are dropped, the ball draw can resume from the point when the power down or system failure occurred. All automated ball draw system interruptions must be recorded on the transaction log or system exception log. The automated ball draw system must be equipped with an UPS to minimize the occurrence of power fluctuations or power loss. The UPS must meet the minimum specifications recommended by the licensed manufacturer-distributor of the automated ball draw system and be of sufficient run time to enable the completion of the ball draw process during power fluctuations or power losses of short duration.621.06 When winning numbers are selected using an automated ball draw system, number selection and verification must be conducted in the following manner: 621.06A After the keno manager informs the keno system to begin a new game, the ball numbers must be randomly selected by the automated ball draw system and electronically transmitted to the keno system either directly or through an approved interface unit.621.06B Only one individual must be on duty when winning number selection is performed by use of an automated ball draw system. However, this individual must have at least keno manager responsibility.621.06C Cameras must be used to videotape or digitally record the following prior to, during, and after calling a game, respectively: 621.06C(1) Empty ball calling unit;621.06C(2) Date and time;621.06C(4) Ball calling unit throat;621.06C(5) The entire wheel and all ball numbers selected or each wheel position and each individual ball number selected; and621.06C(6) The immediate work area where the automated ball draw system is located. 621.06D The videotape or the digital recording of the ball calling unit throat and each occupied wheel position must provide a legible identification of the numbers on the balls drawn. If a split image screen is used to accomplish the required views, each track must be capable of independent play in a full screen format.621.06E If the game number can be determined by comparing the date and time display on the videotape or the digital recording to the date and time of the game recorded on the keno system transaction log the game number need not be videotaped or digitally recorded.621.06F Videotapes or digital recordings must be retained for at least three months or until the keno compliance procedures are completed, whichever is later.621.06G All security camera systems used in conjunction with an automated ball draw system must be inspected and approved by the Department prior to the use of the automated ball draw system.621.06H The automated ball draw system must be configured by the licensed manufacturer-distributor of the system or by the licensed manufacturer-distributor of the keno system to render it inoperable when the video or digital recording device malfunctions or the video or digital recording device is out of recording capacity. These safeguards must be inspected and approved by the Department prior to the use of the automated ball draw system.621.06I If a No Read condition occurs during the winning number selection process or duplicate numbers are supplied to the system, the keno system will alert the individual on duty and he or she, or another keno manager, must access the system with appropriate password authorization to make the appropriate corrections to the draw before the game is declared official. The individual on duty, or another keno manager, must determine the corrections to be made by visual observation of the wheel positions in the ball calling unit.621.06J All No Read conditions and duplicate number occurrences which required operator intervention to correct must be reviewed by keno management personnel daily to insure that the corrections made were appropriate. This review may not be performed by the individuals on duty for the day or time being evaluated. This review must be accomplished by reviewing the video or digital recording of the applicable game's draw and determining that the corrections made were appropriate. Any discrepancies noted must be communicated immediately to the Department and the sponsoring county, city, or village. Telephone, fax, email, or written communications are acceptable. This review may be performed at a location other than the location where the ball draw occurred. A written record of the daily review must be maintained by keno management personnel and include the game numbers reviewed, the results of the review, and the signatures of the individuals who performed the review.621.06K If a Misread condition is detected during or after the completion of the draw but prior to closing the next game, the Department and the sponsoring county, city, or village must be notified immediately of the occurrence by telephone. The Department will determine the corrective action to be taken.621.06L If the automated ball draw system malfunctions due to component failure prior to the completion of the draw, the ball draw is invalid and the game must be redrawn after the malfunction has been remedied. The keno manager must announce to players at the main location that a problem has been encountered during the ball draw and provide players the opportunity to request a refund of any single race tickets they have purchased for that game. Players with active multirace tickets may quit the race, be paid any accumulated winnings, and be refunded the amount wagered for games not played. All these occurrences must be recorded on the transaction log or system exception log with a notation that the game was redrawn. The keno manager may initiate a redraw of a game only after the problem has been corrected and all requested refunds and accumulated winnings on multirace tickets have been paid. 621.06L(1) If the problem which caused the failure of the automated ball draw system cannot be immediately remedied, the keno manager must announce to players at the main location that a problem has been encountered during the ball draw and provide players the opportunity to request a refund of any single race tickets they have purchased for that game. Players with active multirace tickets may quit the race, be paid any accumulated winnings, and be refunded the amount wagered for games not played. The keno game may be resumed with the approval of the sponsoring county, city, or village with an alternative method of winning number selection, either random number generator or manual ball draw. This circumstance is an emergency situation which must be reported to the Department within 24 hours of its occurrence. The change in the method of winning number selection must be performed in the system configuration menu by the licensed manufacturer-distributor of the keno system, its authorized representative, or keno management personnel with appropriate password authorization and must be recorded on the system exception log.621.06L(2) Once the problem with the automated ball draw system has been corrected, the keno game may resume using the automated ball draw system. The automated ball draw method of winning number selection will be reactivated in the manner prescribed in this regulation. 621.06M If the automated ball draw system powers down prior to the completion of the draw and it drops all or any of the balls previously selected, the ball draw is invalid and the game must be redrawn after power has been restored to the system. The keno manager must announce to players at the main location that a problem has been encountered during the ball draw and provide players the opportunity to request a refund of any single race tickets they have purchased for that game. Players with active multirace tickets may quit the race, be paid any accumulated winnings, and be refunded the amount wagered for games not played. All these occurrences must be recorded on the transaction log or system exception log with a notation that the game was redrawn. The keno manager may initiate a redraw of a game only after the problem has been corrected and all requested refunds and accumulated winnings on multirace tickets have been paid. If the system is designed so that none of the balls previously selected are dropped, the ball draw can resume from the point when the power down or system failure occurred.621.06N If a ball splits in half during a ball draw selection process and one-half of the ball is selected or both halves are selected, the ball draw is invalid and the game must be redrawn after the damaged ball has been replaced. The keno manager must announce to players at the main location that a problem has been encountered during the ball draw and provide players the opportunity to request a refund of any single race tickets they have purchased for that game. Players with active multirace tickets may quit the race, be paid any accumulated winnings, and be refunded the amount wagered for games not played. The keno manager may initiate a redraw of a game only after the problem has been corrected and all requested refunds and accumulated winnings on multirace tickets have been paid. All these occurrences must be recorded on the transaction log or system exception log with a notation that the game was redrawn.621.06O All winning ticket verifications must be performed in accordance with the requirements of County and City Lottery Reg-35-613.06.621.06P A county, city, village, or lottery operator using an automated ball draw system for winning number selection may not deviate from the operational procedures in this regulation unless otherwise authorized by the Department based upon a written request from the county, city, village, or lottery operator describing the alternative procedures. A request made by a lottery operator must have the concurrence of the county, city, or village prior to submission to the Department.621.07 To minimize the occurrence of No Read and Misread conditions, the keno manager: 621.07A Must inspect all keno balls for cleanliness and defects prior to use at the beginning of each day. Cracked balls and any balls on which the optical coding or numbers have been worn off must be replaced. The keno balls must be waxed periodically according to directions provided by the licensed manufacturer-distributor of the automated ball draw system. Back-up keno ball inventories must be maintained in a locked storage cabinet to prevent unauthorized access.621.07B Must inspect and clean the ball calling unit periodically according to directions provided by the manufacturer-distributor of the automated ball draw system.621.07C Must clean the glass lens on the camera inside the ball calling unit periodically according to directions provided by the manufacturer-distributor of the automated ball draw system.621.08 A county, city, village, or lottery operator using an automated ball draw system for winning number selection must adhere to all other requirements of County and City Lottery Reg-35-614 relating to the maintenance of lottery equipment.316 Neb. Admin. Code, 35, § 621