Deadline Nears for Video Poker

This article comes from Highwaygames.com

Allen Morris knew time was running out. Mr. Morris, the owner of Augusta's A&M Amusements, got rid of his entire gambling machine inventory Thursday, just in time for the deadline set by the Georgia Supreme Court.

"A truck just hauled them all away yesterday," Mr. Morris said. "They're on their way to Texas. I sold them for about 25 cents on the dollar." Last summer, Georgia legislators followed South Carolina's example and made video machines with Las Vegas-style games such as poker and keno illegal.

In January, Fulton County Superior Court Judge John J. Goger overturned the ban, saying the law was "arbitrary, overbroad and overinclusive." But in May, the Georgia Supreme Court ruled that "persons of common intelligence" could figure out what was legal and illegal and allowed enforcement of the ban.

The law does not ban games such as skee-ball and countertop trivia games, but there are restrictions on those, said District Attorney Danny Craig. "The law specifically prohibits the award of any gift certificate redeemable at any location other than where the game is played," he said.

Gaming operators have until Monday to remove all machines, when police will begin enforcing the law, Mr. Craig said. Violators will be charged with commercial gambling punishable by one to 20 years in prison, he said. Some violators could be charged with racketeering, which carries a similar sentence.

LEGAL:

Pinball machines
Video games
Crane machines
Bowling machines

Skee-ball machines

ILLEGAL:

Video poker machines
Slot machines and any variations of slot machines
Video games for the play of poker, blackjack or any other card game
Any game that affords a player an opportunity to obtain money or other thing of value

SOURCE: The Augusta Chronicle