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Congressman Defends Slot Industry on 'Slots for Tots' Allegation

In a letter to the chairmen of the House and Senate committees on commerce, Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., argued that Nevada was already making sufficient efforts to prevent underage gambling.

"Nevada's gaming industry is perhaps the most tightly regulated industry in the world," Gibbons wrote. "The state of Nevada, in fact, is leading the gaming industry's efforts to stop underage gambling."

Gibbons pointed to current efforts by the Nevada Gaming Control Board that could restrict the use of child-appealing themes, such as cartoon characters, on slot machines in the state of Nevada.

Gibbons also blasted the four members of the National Gambling Impact Study Commission that signed the Monday letter calling for congressional hearings. "It is ironic that this letter was signed by members of the NGISC, who felt that issues such as this should be left to the states," Gibbons said.

The initial letter, sent Monday, called on Congress to investigate new machines that employ so-called "child-enticing" themes, as well as industry research that went into developing these machines. The authors attacked what they call "slots for tots."

"This looks like the Joe Camel of the gambling industry," said Gary Ruskin, director of Commercial Alert, Ralph Nader's consumer advocacy group based in Washington. "We mean that the staff ought to obtain internal market research and documents, then hold hearings on it as well."

The members of the NGISC who signed the letter were Chairwoman Kay James; James Dobson, president of Focus on the Family; Leo McCarthy, former lieutenant governor of California; and Richard Leone.

Specific games cited in the letter include WMS Industries Inc. "Monopoly," Shuffle Master's "The Three Stooges" and International Game Technology's "South Park" and "The Pink Panther."

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