wa-law.org > bill > 2025-26 > SB 5512 > Original Bill
The legislature finds that surveillance technologies currently utilized by house-banked card rooms licensed by the Washington state gambling commission must be modernized to leverage advancements in technology that enhance the safety and security of patrons, employees, and businesses. Outdated systems fail to provide the level of oversight, efficiency, and accountability required to address modern security challenges effectively.
The legislature further finds that centralized surveillance systems for entities operating multiple locations offer significant benefits. These systems streamline operations, reduce redundancies, and ensure the consistent application of security protocols across all sites. Centralized platforms allow management to monitor multiple locations in real time from a single hub, improving oversight, enhancing accountability, and ensuring compliance with safety and regulatory standards.
Moreover, the legislature recognizes that modernized surveillance systems play a critical role in preventing criminal activities, identifying potential hazards, and resolving safety issues swiftly. High-quality video footage collected through centralized systems not only supports timely investigations but also provides clear and actionable evidence for enforcement, improving the integrity and trustworthiness of the regulatory process.
Therefore, the legislature intends to empower card room operators with multiple locations to adopt centralized surveillance systems, ensuring that regulatory frameworks evolve to meet the demands of modern technology, strengthen public and workplace safety, and uphold fair and transparent business practices.
The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
"Centralized surveillance monitoring location" means a secure room at a licensed house-banked card room with remote access to surveillance systems of multiple licensed card rooms owned and controlled by the same parent company. Access to surveillance systems includes, but is not limited to, the viewing of video data signals from cameras.
"Closed-circuit television" means a surveillance system that uses wired surveillance cameras connected to equipment secured in a surveillance room for monitoring and recording purposes and which video signals are not publicly distributed or accessible.
"Surveillance room" means a secure location or locations on the premises of a licensed card room that houses a portion of the surveillance system including monitors, digital recording equipment, servers, switches, and/or ancillary equipment.
"Surveillance system" means a system containing video cameras, monitors, digital recording equipment, servers, switches, and/or ancillary equipment.
House-banked and class F card game licensees must receive written approval from the commission before utilizing or operating a centralized surveillance monitoring location. The following conditions must be met:
Before a house-banked or class F card room is allowed to be monitored by a centralized surveillance monitoring location, they must submit internal controls to the commission in the format determined by the commission;
The house-banked card room that houses the centralized surveillance monitoring location must submit internal controls to the commission in the format determined by the commission; and
The centralized surveillance monitoring location must pass a preoperational inspection conducted by the commission.
Any house-banked or class F card room being monitored by a centralized surveillance monitoring location must have a closed-circuit television system on their premises and adhere to all applicable rules.
Centralized surveillance monitoring locations must:
Be located on the licensed premises of a house-banked card room;
Have at least one monitoring station for each surveillance department employee working in the room. A "monitoring station" is a designated area for one surveillance department employee to work at which includes at least:
A computer connected to one or more monitored house-banked card rooms that is capable of pulling up all cameras of a monitored house-banked card room and reviewing playback of recorded video to include forward, reverse, slow motion, and frame-by-frame;
A controller to utilize pan tilt zoom cameras. The centralized surveillance monitoring location may have pan tilt zoom override capabilities over the monitored house-banked card room's surveillance room;
Video monitors to view surveillance cameras and ability to listen to required audio; and
A dedicated method of communication to communicate between monitored house-banked card rooms and centralized surveillance monitoring locations;
Have a sufficient number of video monitors at each monitoring station to simultaneously view multiple gambling tables, the cashier's cage, and count room activities;
Have an alarm device that signals centralized surveillance monitoring location employees when any count room door of a monitored house-banked card room is opened;
Have an alarm device that signals centralized surveillance monitoring location employees when the cage cashier manually triggers a silent alarm in the cage of a monitored house-banked card room;
Have an alarm device that signals centralized surveillance monitoring location employees when any surveillance room door of a monitored house-banked card room is opened; and
Have a failure notification system for each monitored house-banked card room that provides immediate notification for any digital recording equipment system failure.
The licensee who houses the centralized surveillance monitoring location must ensure that at least two surveillance department employees are present in the room and monitoring activities whenever one or more monitored house-banked card rooms are conducting gambling and during the count process. In addition, the licensee must:
Control access to the room so that only licensed surveillance department employees use the room. Approved supervisory or management personnel may also enter the room to review activities, but only if they are licensed at each house-banked card room the centralized surveillance monitoring location monitors; and
Have at least one surveillance department employee for every 15 house-banked gambling tables open for play with at least one dedicated surveillance department employee to observe the transporting of drop boxes of a house-banked card room or when the count takes place. For example, if there are seven house-banked card rooms being monitored with 45 house-banked gambling tables open for play then three surveillance department employees would be required. However, if there were also four soft counts taking place at the same time, at least four surveillance department employees would be required in the room.
Licensed locations that house a centralized surveillance monitoring location must ensure that:
Surveillance department employees are licensed at each house-banked card room monitored by the centralized surveillance monitoring location;
A sign-in log, in the format determined by the commission, is maintained to document anyone entering or leaving the room;
Surveillance department employees keep a log of all surveillance activities, in the format determined by the commission, for each house-banked card room monitored by the centralized surveillance monitoring location;
Breaks for surveillance department employees are limited to 30 minutes or less per shift; and
Any time a winning wager, a jackpot, or bonus pay out greater than $3,000 is won, surveillance department employees use pan-tilt-zoom cameras to verify:
Winning hands;
Amounts of the wager;
Amounts of the pay out; and
Players who won the prize.
In the event that the centralized surveillance monitoring location is unable to view any camera that covers required gambling areas at a monitored house-banked card room, the following conditions must be met:
The licensed location must immediately notify supervisory personnel at the monitored house-banked card room;
The monitored house-banked card room must shut down gambling operations in specific areas of the card room not covered by a required camera until the camera feed is restored. Alternatively, if the onsite surveillance room is capable of viewing the required camera, the monitored house-banked card room may operate in the specific area once a licensed employee, as approved in the internal controls, staffs the surveillance room. For example, if a gambling table is not covered by a surveillance camera, the monitored house-banked card room must shut down the gambling table but may continue to operate other gambling tables at the card room where the surveillance system is operational;
The centralized surveillance monitoring location must document the disruptions in a malfunction log in the format determined by the commission; and
The licensed location must report the issue to the commission within 24 hours.
House-banked and class F card room licensees that utilize a centralized surveillance monitoring location must:
Have a surveillance camera installed in the surveillance room or rooms that views the surveillance equipment to include the digital recording equipment, computers, and monitors. The centralized surveillance monitoring location must have remote access to the camera viewing the onsite surveillance room or rooms; and
Grant the commission access to the surveillance room within 30 minutes. A licensed authorized card room employee, as approved in the internal controls, who is knowledgeable in the operation of the surveillance system must be available to assist the commission.
Centralized surveillance monitoring locations may remotely access live or recorded surveillance footage from licensed card rooms under the following conditions:
Remote viewing requires a dedicated and secure communication protocol or application utilizing encryption. Any communication must be secured from intrusion, interference, and eavesdropping;
The licensed location must ensure security for all communications and data to prevent unauthorized access. These security measures should include, but are not limited to, current encryption standards for critical information, isolation from public networks, and use of firewalls;
Laptops or computers used for remote viewing must:
Be dedicated to the closed-circuit television surveillance systems being monitored;
Have a mechanism to detect and prevent installation of spyware, key loggers, hacking tools, or other malicious software;
Have regularly updated antivirus software protection;
Employ active firewall software;
Have a hardened operating system; and
Have security vulnerability patching;
The licensed location must ensure that access protocols are embedded in the system software that prohibit users from rewriting over storage discs, changing system configurations, or otherwise making changes such as to cause the integrity of the system or the historical data to be called into question;
Prior to offering centralized surveillance and every license year thereafter, the licensee must have an independent technical expert, who is a licensed service supplier, perform a system integrity and security assessment of the surveillance system. The scope of the security assessment must include vulnerability and penetration testing. The independent technical expert's report must be submitted to the commission within 30 days of the report's completion and must include:
The scope of the review;
The name and company affiliation of the individuals who conducted the assessment;
The date of the assessment;
Any findings;
Any recommended corrective action, if applicable; and
The licensee's response to the findings and recommended corrective action if applicable; and
The licensed location must report any system security breach to the commission within 24 hours.
Centralized surveillance monitoring locations must be able to remotely access all surveillance camera views and required saved video files from licensed card rooms they monitor. The following video monitoring conditions must be met:
There must be adequate bandwidth capacity and transmission speed to ensure all monitored cameras have minimal live view latency of less than a one second delay;
Each camera view or saved video file called up for remote viewing at a centralized monitoring location must have:
Sufficient bandwidth speeds to show fluid motion equivalent to 25 frames per second or better; and
Sufficient clarity to clearly distinguish the value of currency, coins, gaming chips, playing cards, and outcome of the game; and
Each camera view and required saved video files at a monitored house-banked card room must be capable of having its video picture displayed on all video monitors at a centralized surveillance monitoring location.
The commission shall adopt rules to implement chapter . . ., Laws of 2025 by January 1, 2026.