Video Poker Ban Looms Closer

A consulting firm hired to determine the impact of the proposed and likely to occur ban on video poker machines in the southern state of North Carolina has turned up some numbers that may shake the resolve of the legislators hoping to see the bill through. According to the firm, video poker machines are directly responsible for more than 1,700 jobs in the Tarheel State, and some $100 million a year to the state's economy. This data is not expected to halt what some see as the inevitable ban on video poker, however.The Sheriff's office has long been against the machines. While many are utilized in a legal fashion, those that are operated illegally pose a problem that has been insurmountable in recent years. With the new legislation likely to ban the machines in 2007, the Sheriff's department woes may be over soon.