WSR 00-04-042

POLICY STATEMENT

WASHINGTON STATE LOTTERY


[ Filed January 26, 2000, 2:24 p.m. ]

The Washington State Lottery has recently adopted or revised the following policies:


POL 110.008 - Reporting of Lotto, Quinto and Lucky for Life Results (Revised)


Added information on Lucky for Life. The headquarters drawing official (rather than the public information officer) now notifies the media of Lotto, Quinto, and Lucky for Life results. The HDO no longer notifies the PIO and director if there is a top prize winner in any of these games.

Signed November 8, 1999.


POL 110.013 - Cellular Telephones (Revised)


Lottery managers (rather than the director) now approve cell phone/line allocations. Managers (rather than the internal auditor) now review cell phone usage for compliance with the policy. Updated titles, forms, etc.

Signed October 8, 1999.


POL 110.552 - Daily Game/Daily Keno Drawings (Revisions)


Added that the deputy director is designated authority to approve visitors witnessing a drawing.

Clarified that:

Problems with terminal access due to a system problem are referred to the headquarters drawing officials; problems due to entering a wrong password are handled by using the emergency password, found in the location designed by the security chief.
"Metal" strip seals are no longer used on the ball cabinets; refers to "numbered" seal only.
The Daily Keno ADM automatically performs 40,000 tests (not 30,000).
Added that if the vault alarm does not activate after three attempts, drawing officials refer to the drawing contingencies. The vault is no longer alarmed when officials exit to perform drawing activities. The alarm is rearmed only when all drawing activities are complete.

Signed November 23, 1999.


POL 110.554 - On-Line Drawing Contingencies (Revision)


Changed the weight tolerance range for the Lucky for Life ball sets from two grams to one gram. Clarified throughout the document, that anytime an on-air foul is called, the announcer includes a script clarifying to viewers of the subsequent broadcasts, that they are watching the official drawing. If the primary machine fails, the drawing coordinator will now determine the best method to conduct the drawing depending on the circumstances. Clarified that when the Daily Game ball sets reject, the external auditor will determine which ball set the alternate set will replace.

In the "total power failure before the live drawing" section, and in the added section on the LDO's terminal failing, added that the drawing coordinator will ensure the LDO portion of the enter/verification process is performed in a manner that protects the integrity of that portion of the on-line drawing process, and listed what those possible steps are. Clarified that the HDO coordinator has to authorize the HDO to go to the on-line vendor site during power outages.

Signed November 9, 1999.


POL 110.552 - Wednesday and Saturday Daily Keno, Daily Game, Quinto, Lucky for Life, and Lotto Drawings


Changed the established weight tolerance range for Lucky for Life balls from two grams to one gram.

Added information on what to do if the Lucky for Life machine selects less than four balls, or the Quinto machine allows selection of less than five balls (call a foul, work with broadcast station to disseminate final information, etc.).

Added that the deputy director is designated authority to approve visitors witnessing a drawing.

Clarified that problems with terminal access due to a system problem are referred to the headquarters drawing officials; problems due to entering a wrong password are handled by using the emergency password, found in the location designated by the security chief.

Clarified that:

"Metal" strip seals are no longer used on the ball cabinets; refers to "numbered" seal only.
The Daily Keno ADM automatically performs 40,000 tests (not 30,000).
Added that if the vault alarm does not activate after three attempts, drawing officials refer to the drawing contingencies. The vault is no longer alarmed when officials exit to perform drawing activities. The alarm is rearmed only when all drawing activities are complete.

Incorporated other minor housekeeping changes necessary due to set redesign and the lottery no longer having an internal auditor, etc.

Signed November 23, 1999.


POL 120.001 - Tuition Reimbursement (Revision)


Employee requests for tuition reimbursement can now be approved by the employee's supervisor (rather than at the level of assistant director or above). Clarified that reimbursement is limited to tuition only - not for registration fees. Clarified that probationary, trial service and temporary employees are eligible to request reimbursement, but the employee must be in permanent status at the time reimbursement is made.

The allowed reimbursement rates were changed as follows:


Semester From $500 to $550
Trimester From $333 to $366
Quarter From $250 to $275
Total in 12 months From $1,000 to $1,100

Signed December 9, 1999.


POL 120.008 - Overtime


Clarified that this policy refers to classified employees only; exempt employees do not usually receive overtime. Added a note that exchange time must be approved in advance and a record maintained by the manager or his/her designee. An assistant director, the deputy director, or the director can designate approval of exception work week employees to receive exchange time for hours worked over the 40-hour work week. The deputy director (in addition to the director) can now authorize exceptions to the policy.

Signed November 19, 1999.


POL 120.009 - Drawing Duty Compensation


Deleted the reference to "courier duties," which no longer apply. Added a note clarifying that drawing officials must work their full schedule in their primary position.

Signed November 19, 1999.


POL 120.031 - Voluntary Employees Beneficiary Association Medical Expense Plan (VEBA-MEP)


This new policy allows employees who qualify to retire during the following calendar year to vote to determine whether the lottery will participate in the VEGA-MEP [VEBA-MEP] plan. If the lottery does participate, all employees who retire during the calendar year deposit proceeds from their sick leave cash out into a tax-free medical savings account, used to pay out-of-pocket medical expenses. If they do not deposit into the account, they lose their sick leave cash out.

Signed December 14, 1999.


POL 130.002 - Appointing, Training, and Removing Lottery Security Officials (LSOs) and Lottery Drawing Officials (LDOs) (Revision)


Clarified that the drawing coordinator is not required to give written notice and/or take corrective action before dismissing an employee from drawing duty (drawing officials are exempt from civil service protection).

Signed November 1, 1999.


POL 130.005 - Retailer Criminal History and Credit Criteria for Applicants and Licensees (Revision)


The WSL now performs credit checks on all applicants (not just on-line applicants) and on the random 2% follow-up checks performed every year. For corporations/organizations, the WSL no longer performs checks on "any authorized signatory of documents," "and spouse" (of a 10% or more stockholder), or on "those "holding 10% or more equity in the corporations" (for spouses of officers). Applicants with a marginal or minimal credit rating are now required to post a $7,500 "savings certificate" rather than cash.

Forms are accepted up to one year after their completion date (used to be six months). Information was added regarding licensing representative duties if information is missing from the forms.

For removal of on-line terminals, the machines are now pinned immediately and removed as soon as the lottery's on-line vendor can schedule removal, rather than waiting to remove the terminal until the twenty day period for filing for an administrative hearing has passed.

When the WSL takes action against a retailer who is a partial owner of other lottery-licensed retail location(s), the other owners are notified of the action taken and the reason(s) for it.

Signed December 23, 1999.


POL 220.016 - State-Sponsored Charge Cards (Revision)


The administrative services manager (rather than the director) is now authorized to approve state-sponsored charge cards. A travel designee now processes credit card applications, distributes cards, cancels cards, etc.

Signed November 17, 1999.


POL 240.004 - Terminating Retailers


Terminated lottery retailers are now given five business days (instead of fifteen) to pay the amount owed the lottery if the retailer's lottery bank account was closed before the final EFT sweep.

Signed December 9, 1999.


POL 250.005 - Prize Claim Validation and Payment (Revised)


This document was completely redone to combine the mail-in and walk-in procedures and eliminate procedures that were duplicated in desk guides and did not involve pass offs to others.

Signed October 12, 1999.


POL 310.013 - On-Line Terminal Removal Due to Low Sales or Breach of Agreement for On-Line Sales


The lottery now considers twenty-six week (rather than thirteen week) scratch sales averages when determining low sales. Added that the director has the discretion to waive minimums for retailers who are the only providers of on-line tickets in a defined town or unincorporated area; and included examples of when this determination might be made.

When terminating an on-line retailer, the retailer's on-line terminal is now pinned and removed, and the telephone lines removed, even if the retailer requested an administrative hearing. If the retailer wins an appeal, the lottery will pay the cost to reinstall the telephone line.

Clarified that:

A pinned terminal still produces accounting reports;
The on-line terminal is removed on the day scheduled by GTECH; and
Retailers do not necessarily have to provide "prior" documentation of a significant disruption in on-line service for those sales weeks to be factored out of the average.
Signed November 30, 1999.

To receive a copy of any of these policies, contact Becky Zopolis, Washington State Lottery, P.O. Box 43000, Olympia, WA 98504-3000, phone (360) 664-4816, fax (360) 664-4817.

January 25, 2000

Merritt D. Long

Director

Reviser's note: The typographical error in the above material occurred in the copy filed by the Washington State Lottery and appears in the Register pursuant to the requirements of RCW 34.08.040.

© Washington State Code Reviser's Office