California's Blackbeard Fun Center Can't Use Former Slot Machine
The definition of what constitutes a game of chance, as opposed to a game of skill, is becoming a finer and finer distinction, as one California amusement park has learned.
Blackbeard's Family Fun Center in Fresno, California, has been forced to remove a machine from its complex and pay a $1500 fine because law enforcement officials thought the machine was too similar to Las Vegas-style slot machines.
No money was used to operate the gadget, nor was money ever paid out. Instead, players used tokens to start the game, and tickets were awarded based on performance.
The machine had been converted from an old Atlantic City slot machine. Once the game started, the wheels would begin to spin. The player then controlled when each wheel would stop, attempting to match certain symbols. The better job the player did, the more tickets would be received. Tickets were exchangeable for various prizes.
Jonathan Netzer, attorney for GLAD Entertainment, the owner of Blackbeard's, said the same conversion to a legal machine had been made in several states. He stated that his clients did not want to involve themselves in a potentially costly and lengthy legal dispute, but that if they had, "We clearly could have won."
Authorities claimed the machine was a concern because it was at a location designed for teen-aged crowds, who might be influenced by gambling parallels.
The same game was cited by law enforcement in Florida, but the proprietors of the game there took the case to court, where the machine was ruled to not be a game of chance, and therefore legal.
One vital aspect of preventing addictive gambling is education. Wouldn't authorities find that games similar to actual slots would teach youths the drawbacks of gambling as much as the enjoyment? Isn't it better to learn that the house generally wins and the player often loses early, before the losses are real?
It seems that part of proper education to prevent problem gambling would be to remove the mystique. Removing the machine simply adds the allure of all things forbidden, historically the worst way to control abuse.
