News-Record.com

Judge Joe Craig has opened a door for High Point's furniture market.

Craig, resident Superior Court judge in High Point, granted an injunction to stop state ALE agents from busting video slot machines, which are simply electronic gambling devices by a different name and in slightly different form.

Craig apparently bought the argument advanced by an attorney for machine operators that "this is not a game of chance. This is a way to simulate a game of chance ..." as quoted in Jen's article Saturday.

The judge allowed that this awfully confusing issue maybe ought to be decided by the legislature rather than the courts. Normally, that's a welcome sentiment coming from the bench, but in this case -- as I've written before -- the legislature already has acted. What's needed is for a judge to enforce the common-sense meaning of the law. Legislative intent is as plain as day.

Nevertheless, now that Craig has weighed in to the benefit of the gaming industry, there may be an opportunity here for the High Point Market.

Remember, the local furniture show is competing tooth and nail against its rival in glitzy Las Vegas, where people entertain themselves by losing huge amounts of money in all kinds of gambling outlets.

This may be a chance for High Point to get in the game.

Of course, the market will have to dodge around state law by coming up with rackets that "simulate" games of chance, but it apparently doesn't require a lot of camouflage to fool a judge. They could probably run blackjack games and call them Go Fish, for example. It should be easy to work out the details.

What's important is the judicial OK. After all, if the state meant to ban gambling, it wouldn't have left all those little tiny loopholes in the law. Surely one must be big enough to squeeze a furniture market through.