Senate passes video poker ban
The Senate passed a ban on video poker today, making the machines illegal anywhere except at a casino on tribal lands. The issue heads to the House next week.
Background here if you need it.
And this here is a link to the bill status, language and sponsors. The page may still say "Extend Sunset/Animal Disease Prevention" but don't be fooled, it's the poker bill. (The Senate took an old bill that the House had passed, gutted it, and plopped in the poker language.)
Comments (3)
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"Whereas, the State of North Carolina desires to clearly set forth its policy against commercial forms of gaming..."
Hohohahahahahahah. Whoowee. Always open with a joke.
Posted on May 11, 2006 1:56 PM
Sort of makes you wonder what their definition of "commericial" is, doesn't it?
Posted on May 11, 2006 2:01 PM
North Carolina continues it's backward ways with the ban on video poker every where but on the reservations. When we are facing record deficits the thing to do is to ban an industry that contributes considerably to the NC coffers. People are going to gamble and NC can't stop it. Why not make it legal and capitalize on it?
Anyway, while everyone thinks it is the religious people of NC that wants this gone (that's what the state wants you to think), it's really the money being paid and the money to be made by the company(s) operating the casinos on the reservation.
Check it out. See who's paying the most money to our Senators and Representatives, the amusement organizations or the commercial gambling organizations.
Other states are just now voting in poker but leave it to us to do the opposite. Just seems to me that with the need for revenue we should be taxing these machine revenues rather than kicking them out. You can bet they will bring in more than the machines on the reservations.
The figure that "only 1700" people will lose their jobs when these machines are gone is made up. In some of the really populated counties there are nearly 1700 people working and all will be out of work not to mention the businesses that will be shut down (most of which are small one to five people businesses).
Think the ban is a good thing? Hardly. Contrary to the popular propaganda being put out the main reason these machines are leaving is so the casinos will have a lock on legal gambling. Oh, by the way, there will soon be a casino near the eastern NC coast also so we will have a gambling spot closer to us (for our convenience).
The least the lawmakers could do is to ban it statewide or limit the number of future machines the casinos may have.
Save the jobs and tax the revenues.
Thanks for listening.
Posted on June 6, 2006 12:07 AM