ON THE MOVE
more
about video poker
On Friday the 13th the call went out to those leasing video poker machines
from Southland Amusements that the machines will be picked up immediately.
No reason was given but several suspicions exist.
Many of the machines rent for $1,200 a month and some split the machines
income with the lessor. There has been absolutely no prosecution in recent
memory of any illegal video poker machine operator, no local investigations
and no serious attempts to enforce the State laws that prohibit the operators
of these machines from paying out more than $10 in merchandise.
Blue Line Radio’s investigation into the video poker industry has
uncovered several “speak easy”
establishments that operate in blatant violation of the law. One of the
most obvious violations is that the machines must be visible from the
front of the place of business. Machines are typically placed in a backroom
or behind partitions. Another less obvious violation is the amount of
money paid out to its customers. It is estimated that one single machine
makes over a thousand dollars a week in profit. Payouts of $300 and up
are not uncommon and are made to keep the customers coming back. The machines
are equipped with a computer chip that can be adjusted to insure various
levels of profit. The machines cannot be beat. They are not games of skill,
they are manufactured to win money for the operator.
Operators such as Wanda Ripa who has at least two video poker establishments,
HABC Distributors and HABC Distributors II, operate out of respectable
office parks with respectable neighbors, many of whom have no idea what
business is next door to them. One recent politician recently opened his
campaign office to find out that his next door neighbor was a video poker
establishment.
Sgt. Butch Morgan of the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, has
told Blue Line that he has no way of enforcing the laws. In fact he has
said that he is more likely to arrest a patron of an establishment who
complains to him than the illegal video poker machine’s owner.
Sgt. Morgan’s boss, Sheriff Sid Causey, has stated recently that
he thinks that 99% of the machines are operating illegally. Why then haven’t
any arrests been made?
Causey, a longtime personal friend of Garrett family (Garland Garrett
I, II and III were all arrested for federal crimes associated with their
illegal video poker empire) and a recipient of $1,000 campaign contribution
from Pamela James, the sister of Southland Amusements Owner, Robert “Bobby”
Huckabee.
Bobby Huckabee has recently been under the microscope for his many political
campaign contributions to various politicians he has attempted to win
over. Huckabee, a Wilmington native, has long been attempting to influence
legislation in order to keep video poker alive in North Carolina. Should
the machines be banned, as they are in South Carolina, hundreds of millions
of illegal dollars will be cut off.
So why is Huckabee picking up all these machines, he has all around Wilmington?
He is making good rent on the machines, they are not in any jeopardy of
being seized by the New Hanover County Sheriff. Sgt. Morgan said he was
aware of Southlands actions to remove the machines and hoped that they
would soon be sold out of state and thus be removed for good.
Huckabee and Southland have a problem if they aren’t removed out
of state and sold right away. The North Carolina law prohibits the transportation
of the machines unless they are to be transported for sale out of state.
NCGS 14- 306.1
It could be the heat from federal investigators that have Huckabee taking
these machines into hiding. It could be that Southland is getting out
of the video poker business. It could also be that Huckabee is refurbishing
the machines and will reinstall them from the places he took them from
this past weekend. What ever the motive for Southlands’ unannounced
move, there are now at least 75 less machines operating illegally in New
Hanover County.
SPEAK OUT IN THE FORUM
