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Monday, November 16, 2009
Law - Some legislators in Maryland are shocked! shocked! at expansive definition of "slot machines"
Some quotes from a story today in the Washington Post, reported by John Wagner:
When Maryland legalized slot machines last year, the state stopped short of welcoming blackjack, roulette and other table games because of qualms about building full-scale casinos.But Marylanders are likely to get something a bit closer to Caesar's Palace than the simple slots parlor many voters and lawmakers imagined when they authorized five venues: State officials say they probably will allow electronic versions of the banned games when casinos start opening next year. * * *
The games do not use actual cards, chips or dice but in most other ways mimic the real thing. Players who gather around electronic blackjack tables, for instance, can double down or buy insurance with the press of a button as they try to beat the hand of a computerized dealer, sometimes wagering hundreds of dollars.
The virtual table games are classified as slots in most states largely because the chances of winning are determined and monitored by a computer with no direct human interaction.
Allowing live table games was never seriously discussed during the years of acrimonious legislative debate over bringing slots to Maryland, given lawmakers' skittishness about expanding gambling. Slots were considered more palatable, in part, because the games are less susceptible to fraud. And little was said about electronic versions of the games, which have become popular only in recent years.
"It's no surprise this industry would stretch the definition as far as it will go, but I don't think that was the understanding of voters or the General Assembly," said Del. Tom Hucker (D-Montgomery), who said he voted to put the slots measure on the ballot last year because he feared school budget cuts loomed as an alternative. He later campaigned against the ballot proposal.During the campaign, supporters played up the hundreds of millions of dollars that could be generated for education, and opponents warned of gambling addiction and other social ills. Neither side focused on the kinds of games that would be allowed, but there was nothing secret either, some lawmakers said.
"People should have done their homework if they thought this was some quaint little industry coming to Maryland," said Del. Justin D. Ross (D-Prince George's), a slots opponent. "As far as I can tell, these machines are perfectly legal. It's getting close to the line for sure, but it's on this side of the line." * * *
At an Indiana casino operated by the same firm that has proposed a 4,750-machine casino at a mall in Anne Arundel County, real-life employees often greet players at the virtual blackjack tables. They serve beer and offer high-fives when a player beats the computerized dealer.Gamblers at Indiana Live!, about 25 miles southeast of Indianapolis, also play an electronic version of roulette and compete at electronic poker tables. Next month, the casino plans to unveil its latest offering: electronic craps. Players will wager on virtual dice that they pretend to throw onto a large screen.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on November 16, 2009 03:31 PM
Posted to General Law Related