New regulations for table game payouts set

Friday, Jan. 26, 2001 | 11:15 a.m.

The Nevada Gaming Commission on Thursday approved a regulation that prevents players from having large table game jackpots "capped" if they make the game's minimum bonus wager.

The new regulation affects only "aggregate payouts," made when more than one player makes a winning wager in a single hand. It does not apply to slot machines or sports betting, or for games with a top payout of less than 50-to-1.

Under the regulation, an aggregate payout limit must be at least as high as the highest payout a player qualifies for if he makes the game's minimum wager. If the player makes a minimum wager of $15 on a game with a top payout of 1,000-to-1, this would set the minimum aggregate payout at $15,000. If two players win a single hand, they would share the aggregate payout in proportion to the rank of their hands.

Aggregate payout limits are employed to prevent the casino from taking too much of a loss on a single hand.

If aggregate payout limits are set, the regulation requires the limits to be "prominently displayed" on the table.

Officials with the state Gaming Control Board drafted the regulations after receiving a number of complaints from players whose winnings had been capped below the top payout, even though they'd bet the minimum required to win the top payout.

"We were seeing misunderstanding about what aggregate limits meant," said board member Bobby Siller, who drafted the regulation. "This isn't a case where the house is on fire. This is a case where someone was playing with matches and we wanted to prevent this."

Under state regulations, casinos are still permitted to cap the payout of a single winning bet, though the casino must clearly post this information.

"That's something I think we also need to take a look at (in the future)," said board Chairman Dennis Neilander.