Kansas Prepares To Legalize Pinball In Liquor Stores

[Andy Chalk]

Kansas Prepares To Legalize Pinball In Liquor Stores

The state of Kansas is preparing to vote on legislation that will legalize pinball and arcade machines in liquor stores - in 2020.

There was a time that pinball, like rock and roll, comic books and girls, was a corrosive evil, poised to turn our good youth into juvenile reprobates. To protect their innocence from this creeping corruption, the state of Kansas enacted legislation stating that liquor stores in the state "shall not furnish any entertainment in such premises or permit any pinball machine or game of skill or chance to be located in or on such premises."

But Kansas House Bill no. 2556, "An act concerning alcoholic beverages; relating to retailer's licenses," and amending and repealing various other bits of legislation, seeks to change that rather odd (and oddly specific) restriction. It's 21 pages of dull legalese, but buried on page ten is a section stating that, once amended, holders of class C liquor licenses can install pinball machines, or any "game of skill or chance," if they want.

It's nice to see that Kansas is doing its best to keep up with Iowa, which recently took steps to legalize video game tournaments [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/131802-Iowa-Looks-To-Legalize-Video-Game-Tournaments] in the state. The only downside is that the restriction won't actually be lifted until July 1, 2020, six-and-a-half years from today. Why? I have no idea, except perhaps that a silly law deserves a silly send-off. At least there's light at the end of the tunnel.

Source: Kansas Legislature [http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2013_14/measures/documents/hb2556_00_0000.pdf]


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[Wookie 1]

This is awful news. Forget the pinball and all the amusement coming from that. 'Any game of skill or chance' that basicly means you are allowing people to play games of 'chance', i.e. gambling whilst potentially inebriated. Ever heard of Fixed Odds Betting Terminals? we have them in betting shops in the UK. People lose hundreds if not thousands to them, fast, faster than in most casino's in fact. So yeah, this isnt good news.

 

[TiberiusEsuriens]

The only downside is that the restriction won't actually be lifted until July 1, 2020, six-and-a-half years from today. Why? I have no idea, except perhaps that a silly law deserves a silly send-off.

It is standard legal procedure common to all sorts of law, in order to prevent lawmakers from insidiously passing legislation that immediately benefits them monetarily. It's the same reason that when the US congress increases their pay, that said pay increase does not take into affect until after the next election, in which they might not benefit.

This is literally awful news. Forget the pinball and all the amusement coming from that. 'Any game of skill or chance' that basicly means you are allowing people to play games of 'chance', i.e. gambling whilst potentially inebriated. Ever heard of Fixed Odds Betting Terminals? we have them in betting shops in the UK. People lose hundreds if not thousands to them, fast, faster than in most casino's in fact. So yeah, this isnt good news.

In this case, it's to prevent liquor stores from immediately doing that ^ (it won't stop them long term, but it does discourage them from caring)

 

[Elijah Newton]

This is literally awful news. Forget the pinball and all the amusement coming from that. 'Any game of skill or chance' that basicly means you are allowing people to play games of 'chance', i.e. gambling whilst potentially inebriated. Ever heard of Fixed Odds Betting Terminals? we have them in betting shops in the UK. People lose hundreds if not thousands to them, fast, faster than in most casino's in fact. So yeah, this isnt good news.

In this case, it's to prevent liquor stores from immediately doing that ^ (it won't stop them long term, but it does discourage them from caring)

*blink blink* Pinball? Really?

Not sure how it translates into a gambling machine, in that the most you can win is a chance to play another game. Since they don't pay out money (or anything which can be turned into money, a la Pachinko) I would've thought it was an amusement, or whatever it is they've categorized video game cabinets found in arcades.

I guess I don't see how this is setting any sort of precedent.

 

[TiberiusEsuriens]

*blink blink* Pinball? Really?

Not sure how it translates into a gambling machine, in that the most you can win is a chance to play another game. Since they don't pay out money (or anything which can be turned into money, a la Pachinko) I would've thought it was an amusement, or whatever it is they've categorized video game cabinets found in arcades.

I guess I don't see how this is setting any sort of precedent.

The point wasn't just about pinball. The law passed doesn't say, "Pinball legalized." It says, "ANY game of skill OR CHANCE." That means a law repealing pinball bans has indirectly given them permission to gamble rather freely.

 

[A-D.]

*blink blink* Pinball? Really?

Not sure how it translates into a gambling machine, in that the most you can win is a chance to play another game. Since they don't pay out money (or anything which can be turned into money, a la Pachinko) I would've thought it was an amusement, or whatever it is they've categorized video game cabinets found in arcades.

I guess I don't see how this is setting any sort of precedent.

The point wasn't just about pinball. The law passed doesn't say, "Pinball legalized." It says, "ANY game of skill OR CHANCE." That means a law repealing pinball bans has indirectly given them permission to gamble rather freely.

Except a game of skill and/or chance doesnt have to pay out money. After all, every game is to some degree a game of skill or a game of chance, playing the lottery is a game of chance, but there is no garantuee that you'd win anything at all. Equally, if you set up games which provide entertainment for money, i.e. pinball machines, dart or whatever, its not really any different to just buying another beer, you dont get any monetary rewards for it. Plus the US has some kind of federal or semi-federal gambling organization or something that would control that gambling anyway, so it just extends their reach if we're talking about them suddenly allowing vegas-style gambling en masse.

 

[Elijah Newton]

I guess I don't see how this is setting any sort of precedent.

The point wasn't just about pinball. The law passed doesn't say, "Pinball legalized." It says, "ANY game of skill OR CHANCE." That means a law repealing pinball bans has indirectly given them permission to gamble rather freely.

Touche, I stand corrected, sir.

So up to now, no lotto machines in Kansas liquor stores? That's cool - this is the first I've heard of such circumstances, I'd always figured the two things went hand-in-hand. Clearly that's the better way for things to be, though I imagine folks in Kansas will get by, this new temptation notwithstanding.

 

[FogHornG36]

Because we don't want to corrupt the children with video games when they are coming in to the liqueur store with their hard earned allowance to buy a fifth of jack.

 

[TiberiusEsuriens]

Except a game of skill and/or chance doesnt have to pay out money. After all, every game is to some degree a game of skill or a game of chance, playing the lottery is a game of chance, but there is no garantuee that you'd win anything at all. Equally, if you set up games which provide entertainment for money, i.e. pinball machines, dart or whatever, its not really any different to just buying another beer, you dont get any monetary rewards for it. Plus the US has some kind of federal or semi-federal gambling organization or something that would control that gambling anyway, so it just extends their reach if we're talking about them suddenly allowing vegas-style gambling en masse.

It definitely doesn't have to win money, but the way the law is written they certainly can. You seem well versed enough in US legislature to know that this is a gray situation. Due to the nature of law repeals and their innocent-until-proven-guilty nature, it is highly possible that once it does go into affect people will try to run with the gambling theme until there is yet another law passed more strictly defining the types of games allowed, or even simply a set of drawn-out court hearings to say that yes, this does fall under gambling restrictions. It's yet another reason why there's a 2020 date behind it, to give people time to sort that out before it can get out of hand. Granted, that may be giving the US legislative branch too much credit ^.^

 

[Kajin]

-snip-

Isn't gambling illegal in most states in the U.S.? I imagine that would also include gambling games where real money is bet. And if it IS legal in Kansas... So what?

 

[XenoScifi]

The last thing I want to do is hang around in a liquor store. Or do people really do that? I sometimes will ask about a good rum that's new or something, but to hang about and play pinball seems odd.

 

[Bashful Reaper]

Haha, Elton John doing Pinball Wizard, very apropos. But generally, gambling machines are a terrible thing and should be kept very separate from pinball machines, which may consume a bit of time and money for those who obsess a bit over them, but are a far cry from the life ruining Fruit machines and such. I remember seeing a documentary about "Pokies" in Australia (automated Poker machines) and how they brought whole communities to their knees.

Pub quizzes and "Itboxes" are my weakness though, but that is only because my sister and I can usually win about £20-£70 in a night with them. Unfortunately that rarely covers the tab...