First Illegal Immigrants, Now Illegal Gambling Machines In Arizona

The state of Arizona has been on their high and mighty horse when it comes to enforcing strict laws. First, lawmakers enacted a highly controversial illegal immigrant law, and now the Attorney General's Office is setting its sights on illegal gambling machines.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Arizona Department of Gaming and the Attorney general's Office launched a series of raids on establishments carrying illegal gambling machines. In all, seventy machines were confiscated by authorities.

The machines are similar to what can be found in any arcade across the country. A coin is dropped into a slot, and then a pusher moves the coin into a pile of other coins. If any of the coins falls, the player wins. If the coins do not fall, a player has the opportunity to keep dropping coins into the machine.

"These are machines that are usually found at carnivals and in arcades, but law enforcement officials in Arizona believe that too many locations are offering what they feel are illegal gambling machines," said Gaming Analyst Steve Schwartz.

According to Arizona law, games of chance cannot be played for real money or prizes. The machines in question require no skill and a player is not guaranteed to win back any of their money, so therefore the machines are illegal.

Fifty-seven locations were raided at the beginning of the week and authorities estimate that over $200,000 in revenue was being generated by the machines. The establishments that were raided were all in the Phoenix area.

Around the US law enforcement agencies have been cracking down on illegal gambling, however most of those raids involved electronic gambling machines. The electronic machines play much like a slot machine would in a casino, and they are illegal in the majority of US states.

June 17, 2010
Posted By Terry Goodwin
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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