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Ban on bingo machines could come down to whether they play ‘like slots’
Annapolis -
The future of video bingo machines in Maryland could come down to whether the game is deemed a slot machine or a 21st century version of a classic game. “If it looks like slots, plays like slots and pays like slots, then it’s a slot machine,” said Sen. Thomas Middleton, D-Charles County, co-sponsor of a bill that would phase out video bingo and poker machines by July 2009. The testimony before the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee on Wednesday centered on whether the machines are modern versions of bingo or slot machines. Vicki Gruber, chief of state for Senate President Thomas Mike V. Miller, said the machines are unregulated and illegal despite a 2001 Court of Special Appeals decision that said otherwise. But those who make the machines, and the bingo parlor owners who use them, say the gaming devices are legal and differ from slot machines that could be approved during a November referendum. “All of our machines are certified and inspected ... this didn't happen in a bubble,” said Larry Weinstein, president of Odenton-based Atlantic Bingo Supply. The machines at bingo halls and some fraternal organizations use tickets with pre-determined winners, much like the pull-tab games. But officials such as Comptroller Peter Franchot argued the court decision is wrong and the machines are unregulated, hurting state-sponsored gambling that pays for social programs. “If you put these machines next to lottery machines, given the payout, I'd probably play the [video machines],” said Buddy Rugoow, director of the Maryland Lottery, who noted a drop in lottery sales in areas where the machines are located. jflanagan@baltimoreexaminer.com |