OHIO SHOWMEN'S ASSOCIATION OPPOSES NEW GAMBLING DEVICES
Zanesville, Ohio -- The only organization representing all phases of the Outdoor
Amusement Industry in Ohio issued a strong statement recently. The topic was the
existence of hundreds of electronic video gambling devices operating around the state.
The Greater Ohio Showmenss Association (G.O.S.A.) represents 400 members who regularly manage amusement rides, food concessions and games of skill at hundreds of outdoor events all around the state including county fairs. According to the G.O.S.A. Board of Trustees, video games as they are currently being operated in storefronts and in various clubs are in flagrant violation of Ohio law and are anything but games of skill.
The Ohio Department of Agriculture (O.D.A.) has the responsibility of inspecting legitimate games of skill at Ohio fairs within its Ride Safety Division. The O.D.A. has the authority to do this derived from the Ohio Revised Code 2915.10. The G. O. S.A. is concerned that these devices, often referred to as "skill slots" because of their similarity to slot machines, if allowed to continue to operate will inevitably find their way to family events and even county fairs. Jim Truex, Division Chief of the Ride Safety Division of the O.D.A., which inspects games of skill, has stated that these games are not games of skill and, therefore, are not legal at Ohio's county fairs.
The G.O.S.A. makes further reference to a recent case in Franklin County Common Pleas Court that examined in depth the question of whether the machines, as currently configured, were actually games of skill. The Courtss decision was that they were indeed not, citing Case #06CV-5326. As a result of this, the Attorney General of the State of Ohio issued an Opinion that these machines were not skill based.
The G.O.S.A. Board of Trustees advises its members and the general public that if these devices exist in their communities, they might want to ask the county sheriff or city police if they have established a policy or course of action relative to their continued operation.
For more information, contact the G.O.S.A. on the World Wide Web at www.mygosa.net.
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