 Newsletter Signup
Stay informed with the
NEW Casino City Times newsletter! |
Gaming News
Texas Court to Consider Legality of Video Games28 May 2002AUSTIN, Texas – As reported by the Associated Press: "The Texas Supreme Court has announced it will take a look at when so-called `eight-liner' video game machines are illegal under state gambling laws. "…The high court announced last week it has agreed to consider together two contradictory cases -- one from Burnet County and one from Johnson County -- in which lower courts found that eight-liner machines did and did not constitute illegal gambling. "Similar in look and feel to slot machines, eight-liners are named for their tic-tac-toe patterned grid that affords eight possible ways to win. State gambling laws were changed in 1995 to allow for novelty games that don't pay cash. "Since then eight-liners have flourished across Texas. Often run by charities, the games typically can be played for as little as a quarter and often pay out in tickets or gift certificates that can be exchanged for toys and gewgaws. "…The machines themselves are not inherently illegal, prosecutors argue, but can become so depending on how much it costs to play them, and how they pay out prizes. "…Now the state's highest court will weigh in by combining two appealed cases…" |