Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Sweepstakes Machines topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Senate Judiciary Committee backs bill to close sweepstakes/video-machine loophole; opponents seek more hearings
Summary
The committee voted 17–2 to give S.B. 3 a favorable report; supporters said the bill closes a loophole that could allow video-style sweepstakes machines in alcohol-serving venues, while some senators urged more hearings for machine owners and industry input.
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted to give S.B. 3 a favorable report to the full Senate, advancing legislation intended to clarify that Internet sweepstakes and similar video-style machines are not legal in alcohol-serving establishments.
The bill’s sponsor said recent magistrate rulings and industry practices created inconsistent interpretations between Title 12 (gambling prohibitions) and Title 61 (alcohol rules), and that law-enforcement witnesses asked the legislature to close the loophole. Supporters cited testimony from the attorney general’s office and SLED that seizures of some machines had been upheld in magistrate courts.
Opponents urged caution. One senator objected that no machine owners had testified at the subcommittee hearing and asked that the committee carry the bill over to allow those operators to be heard; another argued the bill targets only machines in alcohol-serving locations while leaving other sweepstakes operations untouched. The sponsor replied that some entertainment-industry witnesses had urged a comprehensive reform but had not taken a position on this narrower bill.
Committee discussion referenced magistrate-level rulings and law-enforcement seizures; committee members reported that Chief Keel and Bob Cook (AG’s office) had testified to seizures often being upheld, and that SLED had been involved in a substantial number of seizures, as reported in committee testimony.
A motion to report the bill favorably passed in committee; the chair announced a recorded result of 17 in favor and 2 opposed. The sponsor said the bill aims to shut down emerging creative methods that would allow video-poker-style machines to reappear under another label. The committee will forward the bill and the subcommittee report to the Senate floor for further consideration.
Because the bill raises questions about constitutional and statutory interaction (including references to raffles and potential future comprehensive reform), multiple senators signaled they may seek further perfecting amendments on the floor or press for additional testimony before final passage.
