Video poker could return to North Carolina legally -- and make money for the cash-strapped state -- under legislation that a Greensboro legislator says he will file this week.
State Rep. Earl Jones, D-Guilford, said yesterday it's only fair to have video poker if the lottery is legal.
Video poker's arcade-style consoles play electronic gambling games. Once common in bars and convenience stores, the machines were banned in North Carolina several years ago after years of complaints from law enforcement and others about corruption in the industry.
Under the old law, the machines were not allowed to offer cash payouts. Instead, a legally operating machine could only dispense token prizes worth no more than $10.
But law enforcement reported many of the machine operators illegally awarded cash, sometimes several thousand dollars.
Video-poker opponents also complained that gambling addicts spent so much money with illegal machines that they hurt their families. Long-time opponent Charlie Albertson, a state senator from Duplin County, has called video poker the "crack cocaine" of gambling.
Jones said he finds that position offensive. "I really get sick and tired of paternalism," he said, describing the opposition as "class paternalism."
People abuse alcohol and engage in other self-destructive behavior, Jones said, while others can safely enjoy those things. Video poker is no different, he said.
Under Jones' proposal, the video-poker operators would be licensed and policed by the N.C. Department of Revenue. They would have to give the state government 20 percent of their gross profits, he said, estimating the state would take in $20 million to $40 million a year in that arrangement.
Jones estimated that his legislation would have a 50-50 chance of passing.
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