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Electronic Dart Board Regulations

Electronic dart boards are programmed to record scoring internally when darts hit the board. This gives players the convenience of not needing to total and keep track of scoring themselves. The boards often have variations on dart games programmed into them to give them new challenges. There can always be small differences in each manufacturer's board, especially with the extra games it contains and the buttons it uses. Still, there are some basic instructions players should follow when mounting the board and playing the game.

Mounting
- As with all dart boards, the board must be in a room with at least 10 feet of open space in front of it with the toe-line for standing away from the board marked 7 feet, 9 1/4 inches away. The board itself is mounted at approximately 6 1/2 feet above the ground; usually, this means placing the mounting screws to hang it at 6 feet, 7 3/4 inches above ground. You also need an available electrical socket in the wall close enough for the board's AC adapter plug; use an extension cord or surge protector if needed.
Operation
- The exact names and buttons can vary on each board; however, there should be one button that allows you to select through the number of games programmed into the board. Another will select the number of players in the game. There can also be buttons for selecting the game's difficulty level. There will naturally be a button to officially start the game, one to pause the game and a reset button to start a game over. While playing, there may be a button to lock down all the others from working in case a dart hits a button during the game. There should also be a miss button to mark a shot that missed the target completely for no points and a button to erase points for a dart that bounced off the board (if the players choose to use it--see below).
Game Play
- Always use soft-tipped darts with the board; metal-tipped ones will likely damage the board. The game play and rules can differ depending on the type of game selected, and the board's manual will explain each of those games. On a standard game of darts, players get 50 points for hitting the very center and 25 points for hitting the inner ring surrounding it. The rest of the board is marked into sections, and all other points are awarded based on the numbers marked above those sections. Hitting the large ring along the board's outer edge awards double those points while the middle ring awards triple the points. Usually, a dart that bounces off the board without sticking will count for points on the board; the players must decide if they want to count those points or not.

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