Report 2018-132 Recommendation 21 Responses

Report 2018-132: Bureau of Gambling Control and California Gambling Control Commission: Their Licensing Processes Are Inefficient and Foster Unequal Treatment of Applicants (Release Date: May 2019)

Recommendation #21 To: Justice, Department of

To ensure that it can provide useful and accurate data on the locations where enforcement employees spend their time, the bureau should equip its time-reporting system by November 2019 with the capacity to track all hours employees spend at each card room and casino

Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From May 2023

The Bureau has submitted Budget Change Proposals for Fiscal Year 2020-21 (Replacement of License 2000 System FY 2020-21), Fiscal Year 2022-23 (Replacement of the License 2000 System FY 2022-23) and Fiscal Year 2023-24 (License 2000 System Replacement) to replace its licensing system. The project is in Stage 2 of the project approval lifecycle process.

California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Pending

Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From May 2022

The Bureau has submitted Budget Change Proposals for Fiscal Year 2020-21 (Replacement of License 2000 System FY 2020-21) and Fiscal Year 2022-23 (Replacement of the License 2000 System FY 2022-23) to begin the process of replacing its licensing system. The project is in the beginning stages.

California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Pending

Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From May 2021

The DOJ is in the process of hiring and onboarding the staff needed to plan and analyze the project. The BGC will require additional funding to purchase a new licensing system that will accommodate time-tracking.

California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Pending

Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From October 2020

The BGC continues to work through the Fiscal Year 2021-22 Budget Process to replace its Licensing Information System with a system that can efficiently track all time reporting and case specific information that is currently used by Licensing Analysts. Additionally, the new system will track hours spent in cardrooms and tribal casinos by the BGC staff in the Compliance and Enforcement and Audits and Compact Compliance sections. The BGC requires a system that can track all time reporting with case specific information. However, due to technical limitations, the BGC cannot modify the current time-reporting system. Until the new time-reporting system is in place, staff will continue to include the name of the cardroom or casino in the narrative portion of the time-reporting system for manual tracking of all hours spent in those establishments. In Fiscal Year 2020-21 funding was approved to plan and analyze the necessary efforts to replace the current licensing system.

California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Pending

The bureau previously reported working on this recommendation as part of the Fiscal Year 2020-21 budget process. It now references the Fiscal Year 2021-22 process. We believe the bureau's ability to track this information in a reliable way is an important tool to ensure efficient and appropriate use of enforcement resources.

1-Year Agency Response

The BGC continues to work through the Fiscal Year 2020-21 Budget Process to begin replacing the Licensing Information System with a system that can track all time reporting and case specific information that is currently used by Licensing Analysts. The new system will track hours spent in cardrooms and casinos by BGC staff in the Compliance and Enforcement and Audits and Compact Compliance Sections. The BGC requires a system that can track all time reporting with case specific information. However, due to technical limitations, the BGC cannot modify the current time-reporting system. Until the new time-reporting system is in place, staff must continue to include the name of the cardroom or casino in the narrative portion of the time-reporting system for manual tracking of all hours spent in those establishments.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Pending

6-Month Agency Response

BGC is currently working through the Fiscal Year 2020-21 Budget Process to begin the process of replacing its Licensing Information System with a system that can track all time reporting and case specific information by Licensing analysts, as well as staff in BGC's Compliance and Enforcement Section (CES) and Audits and Compact Compliance Section. Due to technical limitations, BGC cannot modify the current time-reporting system. Until the new time-reporting system is in place CES staff is instructed to include the name of the cardroom or casino in the narrative portion of the time-reporting system to enable manual tracking of all hours spent in those establishments.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Pending

60-Day Agency Response

BGC is seeking funding in the next fiscal year to replace its Licensing Information System with a system that can track all time reporting and case specific information by Licensing analysts, as well as staff in BGC's Compliance and Enforcement Section (CES) and Audits and Compact Compliance Section. Because BGC cannot modify the current time-reporting system due to technical limitations, it has instructed CES staff to include the name of the cardroom or casino in the narrative portion of the time-reporting system to enable manual tracking of all hours spent in those establishments until a new time-reporting system is in place.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending

All Recommendations in 2018-132

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.