Did Bally's Handle a Broken Keno Ball Properly?

I was playing keno at Bally's when one of the keno balls broke in half during the game. Did Bally’s handle the situation properly? Should the game have been voided? (The game was stopped temporarily, the ball replaced, and play resumed.) Would players with multi-game tickets have to replace them had the game been voided? Would the player have been in his rights to request a refund?

Nevada Gaming Control Board Senior Research Analyst Michael Lawton responds, “It is the licensee’s responsibility for the maintenance in the operation of their keno games. That said, the licensee is also required to follow the Minimum Internal Control Standards (which are available on our website)."

While the control standards don’t address the bizarre scenario you encountered, they would require that the incident be documented for the authorities. As it says on page eight, “System exception reports are reviewed on a daily basis for propriety of transactions and unusual occurrences. The review should include, but is not limited to, void authorizations, late pays, and parameter alterations. All noted improper transactions or unusual occurrences are investigated with the results documented.”

Lawton adds, “With the limited information provided regarding the operation of the game, the Board believes the casino was following procedure in replacing the ball and resuming game operation. There would be no need to void tickets or refund wagers, as each ball was potentially recorded in the keno system for that particular game. There are no regulations that touch on this specifically, but Regulation 5 covers the Methods of Operation.”

It doesn’t say anything about broken balls, we’re afraid, so as far as Gaming Control is concerned, yes, Bally's handled the situation properly.

Did Bally's properly handle an incident where a keno ball broke in half in the middle of a game?

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Roy Furukawa Mar-12-2020

Bally's Breaking Balls

Sometimes you just can't make this stuff up.

Annie Mar-12-2020

Plague? What plague?

Although late, good for LVA.

Earlier today, I was disturbed after seeing the QoD about keno -- an absurd game to begin with -- and then seeing tomorrow's QoD which, earlier, also had nothing to do with the coronavirus. I was going to post that discussing matters such as a broken keno ball, even in normal times, was a really dumb topic for a QoD, let alone in the midst of this crisis that seems almost targeted to disrupt if not ruin -- in the short turn -- Vegas.

So I'm happy to see LVA made a mid-course correction with tomorrow's QoD (better late than never) with a discussion about what is really important. 

But I do hope that the case of the cracked keno ball was resolved to the satisfaction of all parties.

Question of the Day - 12 March 2020

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