In Nevada, a licensed gaming device manufacturer may deploy a new gaming device after successfully completing the approval process, which includes a lab evaluation, field trial, and review/approval by the Nevada Gaming Control Board and the Nevada Gaming Commission. The manufacturer must submit the gaming device to a board-registered independent testing lab to test and evaluate the device, and if the lab certifies that the gaming device meets Nevada standards, the lab will issue a certification to the manufacturer.
Once the lab “certifies” the gaming device, the manufacturer submits an application package, including the lab certification, to the Nevada Gaming Control Board to allow the board’s Technology Division to review the materials, ask questions and preliminarily evaluate the device. After the Technology Division completes its preliminary review of the gaming device, the manufacturer will be authorized to work with a Nevada casino to conduct a field trial. This field trial allows the gaming device to be deployed in a Nevada casino and played by casino patrons. Upon the successful completion of the field trial, the Nevada Gaming Commission will consider granting final approval of the gaming device.
The field trial process serves two primary functions. First, it allows the board’s Technology and Enforcement Divisions to observe the device in a “real-life setting” and determine if there are any items to address that were not previously detected in laboratory tests and observations. Second, the field trial process allows the gaming device manufacturer to evaluate how a new gaming device performs in the “real world,” including how patrons perceive and react to the gaming device.