Editorial: Fight over video sweepstakes may not have had final round (Greensboro News and Record)
Although a statewide ban on video sweepstakes is on a fast track to take effect Dec. 1, the last word has yet to be heard.
It wouldn’t be the first time that gambling foes thought that they’d finally pulled the plug on video machines only to have them surface in a new disguise. Unresolved court challenges have bought the industry time, allowing it to gain a solid foothold.
Backers aren’t easily deterred. Soon after the House overwhelmingly approved the measure on Wednesday, an industry support group vowed to continue the fight.
William Thevaos, president of the Entertainment Group of North Carolina, said in a statement, “We will look at all options available to us including our legal avenues and the advances of technology … allowing the industry to do business.”
Its lobbyists opposed the ban, instead arguing for regulation and taxation, which they claim would generate millions in tax revenues. Closing the estimated 900 sweepstakes locations, they add, will cost thousands of jobs as well as squelch individual choice.
But no matter how you spin it, the latest incarnation of video poker is a highly addictive form of gambling that hooks too many unsuspecting players.
During the House debate, Minority Leader Paul Stam of Apex noted that money spent by players “comes from somewhere,” suggesting it could be put to better use buying groceries or paying the mortgage.
Admittedly, that line of reasoning would resonate more convincingly if the state itself wasn’t deeply involved in the gambling business. What’s the difference, critics contend, between buying a lottery ticket and clicking a mouse on a game computer screen?
However, law enforcement officials have presented indisputable evidence linking a variety of crimes to video-based games of chance. Besides, two wrongs just don’t make a right.
Friday, July 9, 2010 (Updated 3:00 am)
