Dear ,
Immediate Release
Granite State Coalition Against Expanded Gambling Opposes SB490
Contact: Jim Rubens, (603) 359-3300
The Coalition opposes the legalization of "historic" (or "instant") racing machines because they are video slot machines by another name, and SB490 would take the highly-controversial and irreversible step of legalizing them. The door would then be opened to slot machines statewide, and with that the addiction, crime, and gambling industry political influence and corruption problems seen in every state that has done this.
How do we know that instant racing machines are slot machines? The Wyoming Supreme Court ruled as such under its state law gambling definition functionally identical to New Hampshire's. The court leaves no ambiguity in this ruling:
"[W]e are not dealing with a new technology here, we are dealing with a slot machine that attempts to mimic traditional pari-mutuel wagering. ...Although it may be a good try, we are not so easily beguiled."
Our second major concern is that, Magna Entertainment Company and its American subsidiary, AmTot International, sole-source provider of the machines, software, and data servers required to operate instant racing machines, as of March 5, 2009 filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
"Has gambling money swamp fever reached such an extreme that this legislature would seriously contemplate legalizing a form of gambling built completely around a bankrupt, source-source slot machine vendor?" said Jim Rubens, Coalition chair.
SB490 will be heard before the Senate W&M Committee, Tuesday, March 2, 10:30, State House Room 100, Concord.
URLs:
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data2/wyomingstatecases/2006/2006wy55.pdf
http://www.magnaentertainmentcommittee.com/
