TITLE: Washington State Gambling Commission Proposes Increasing Video-Retention Threshold for House-Banked Card Rooms
BODY:
On April 20, 2026, the Washington State Gambling Commission (WSGC) issued a preproposal statement of inquiry regarding a potential amendment to Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 230-15-319. The proposed rule would increase the video-retention threshold for jackpot payouts in house-banked card rooms from $3,000 to $5,000, while maintaining the existing 30-day retention requirement.
The WSGC received a petition to amend WAC 230-15-320 to increase the prize threshold from $3,000 to $5,000 for when surveillance rooms are required to use pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras to verify specific activities at a gambling table. The WSGC proposes aligning WAC 230-15-319 with this threshold to prevent confusion among house-banked card rooms and agents regarding which camera views must be retained. Currently, both WAC 230-15-319 and WAC 230-15-320 share the same $3,000 triggering threshold. If only WAC 230-15-320 were increased to $5,000, surveillance observers would retain only fixed camera views (rather than the higher-quality PTZ recordings) for jackpots between $3,000 and $4,999, creating inconsistency in recording requirements and coverage detail. Aligning both thresholds at $5,000 would ensure surveillance observers retain the superior PTZ recordings for all prizes meeting the threshold, maintaining consistent operational standards across the state.
The WSGC is conducting regular rulemaking and welcomes participation from interested parties in developing the proposed rule. Interested parties can contact Tricia Gullion, Legislative and Rules Manager, at rule.coordinator@wsgc.wa.gov, 360-486-3473, or PO Box 42400, Olympia, WA 98504-2400 for further information or to provide input during the rulemaking process.