This bill (S-0739.1 / Senate Bill 5512) adds new sections to chapter 9.46 RCW to authorize and regulate centralized surveillance monitoring locations for house-banked card rooms and class F card game licensees that are owned and controlled by the same parent company. It is a regulatory and procedural change creating new licensing and operational requirements rather than creating new crimes or changing criminal penalties. Licensees must obtain written approval from the Washington state gambling commission before using a centralized monitoring location, submit commission-formatted internal controls and pass a preoperational inspection, and locate the centralized monitoring room on the licensed premises of a house-banked card room. The bill prescribes detailed technical, staffing, and operational controls: centralized locations must meet specified equipment, alarm, monitoring station, and communications requirements; maintain at least two surveillance employees whenever monitored rooms are conducting gambling and during counts, with a staffing ratio of at least one surveillance employee per 15 house-banked gambling tables plus one dedicated observer for drop box transport/counts; limit employee breaks to 30 minutes or less per shift; require CCTV on monitored premises; require surveillance verification using PTZ cameras for payouts over $3,000; require immediate notification and shutdown procedures if camera feeds are lost and reporting of disruptions and security breaches to the commission within 24 hours; require the commission be granted access to surveillance rooms within 30 minutes; mandate secure, encrypted remote access and specific computer security controls; and require system software controls that prevent overwriting stored data. Before offering centralized surveillance and then every license year, a licensed service-supplier independent technical expert must perform system integrity and security assessments (including vulnerability and penetration testing) and submit the report to the commission within 30 days. The bill defines terms such as "centralized surveillance monitoring location," "closed-circuit television," "surveillance room," and "surveillance system," and requires video performance standards (live view latency under one second, 25 frames per second or better, and sufficient clarity to distinguish currency, chips, cards, and game outcomes). The commission must adopt implementing rules by January 1, 2026. Important text and context are missing from the extracted material: the remainder of Sec. 10 is truncated, the specific formats the commission will prescribe for internal controls and logs are not provided, definitions for terms like "class F card game" and "licensed service supplier" are not included here, the chapter number in the rulemaking deadline is omitted, and additional enforcement or penalty provisions (beyond inspections and reporting) are not present in the provided excerpts.

If enacted, owners of multiple house-banked card rooms could move live monitoring to a single, secure surveillance room at one licensed property, but only after written approval, preoperational inspection, and submission of commission-approved internal controls. That will shift everyday surveillance duties and staffing to the centralized room (minimum two staff on duty, at least one surveillance employee per 15 tables, one dedicated observer for drop/counts, and short employee breaks), require specific camera/monitoring capabilities and encrypted remote access, and impose routine independent technical assessments, vulnerability testing, and prompt reporting for breaches or camera failures. Expect upfront and ongoing costs for upgraded cameras, secure communication links, hardened computers, annual technical assessments, and additional licensed surveillance staff, plus operational impacts if feeds fail (areas shut down until restored) and administrative work to meet reporting and log formats set by the commission. The parties most affected are house-banked card rooms and their parent companies, surveillance department employees, class F licensees that choose centralized monitoring, independent technical experts who must be retained, and the Washington state gambling commission which must approve, inspect, and adopt implementing rules by January 1, 2026. Key implementation details are left to the commission (specific log/report formats, some definitions, and portions of one section are missing from the provided text), so some operational requirements and enforcement specifics remain unclear.