Mister Holdem

Video Poker Ban To Begin First Phase

A video poker ban is set to take effect in North Carolina beginning Oct. 1. Video poker, an electronic gambling machine that has attracted many bettors to establishments that house them such as convenience stores, bars and truck stops, has been around even before the state launched lottery.

The law will force video poker machine owners to reduce their machines from a maximum of three to two. By March 2007, this will further be reduced to one, and by July 1, a total ban will take effect.

Machine owners, renters and some player have made an effort to stop the ban by filing a class-action lawsuit against the state. Owners and renters of the machines said that they will be losing a key part of their livelihood unfairly. The plaintiffs are challenging the constitutionality of the ban.

The complainants have tried to ask a Wake County judge to issue a temporary restraining order on the law that will take effect until their case has been heard. Superior Court Judge Narley Cashwell however refused to delay the law.

"The court finds that [the] plaintiffs have failed to demonstrate that they are likely to sustain immediate and irreparable harm ... or that they are likely to prevail on the merits of the case," the judge wrote in a one-page order.