Gaming Businesses Gamble on Legal Definition

As reported by the South Florida Herald Tribune: "Games of skill versus games of chance -- place your bet now on how a jury will see it.

"A handful of game room managers banded together at Spin-A-Mania in Bradenton on Tuesday, a day after law enforcement raids at 16 game rooms.

"Authorities have labeled the establishments as 'gambling houses,' which they say are illegal.

"Florida law says slot-based games of chance -- games that require payment to play and have a potential cash payout -- are illegal. State laws prohibit payouts of cash and alcohol.

"But what is a game of chance and what is a game of skill? And how is 'cash' defined? These are central questions in ongoing battles -- in Sarasota County recently and now in Manatee -- over the legality of bingo and gambling parlors.

"The business owners believe their gaming machines fall within an exception to the gambling laws, according to an attorney in Sarasota who has represented defendants there. They claim to be amusement arcades in which games of skill are rewarded with coupons, gift certificates and other prizes…"

2006-06-07