A year after South Carolina outlawed video poker, the Georgia legislature is considering the same thing. Opponents of the games almost had them banned in March on the last day of the regular session, but were unable to get the vote through.
It's expected the issue will come up again during a special summer session of the Georgia assembly beginning Aug. 1. Since the law changed in South Carolina, Savannah officials say they have not heard of an increase in complaints about video gambling. Although the city's police follow up on each complaint they receive, Lt. Gary Glemboski said it's hard to make cases for video gambling.
One of the reasons is because most establishments will not pay out cash to strangers, he said. Instead, they only pay regulars they know. The law says winners cannot be paid at all in cash and must win only prizes or gift certificates, not to exceed $5.
As of May 3, there were 27 master licenses issued in Chatham County that have 2,147 amusement machines - ranging from pool tables to crane machines to video poker - associated with them, said Charles Willey, a spokesman with the state Department of Revenue.
An establishment may not earn more than 50 percent of its income from those machines, Willey said. Licenses for the machines vary from $250 annually for an establishment with up to five machines, to $2,500 a year for a business with more than 60 machines.
Chief Assistant District Attorney David Lock said it's difficult to make cases against video gambling because the statute is not always clear. In any case, fault lies not only with the owner of the establishment but also with the person playing the game, Lock said.
The law
Georgia law states that all coin-operated machines must reward winning players exclusively with free replays or merchandise (prizes, toys, gift certificates or novelties), not to exceed a wholesale value of $5.
The penalty
Anyone who operates an establishment used as a gambling place can be found guilty of a misdemeanor of a high and aggravated nature, resulting in up to 12 months in jail and up to a $5,000 fine.
Report by Paula Reed Ward,
Carolina Morning News.
