The logic is obviously flawed. Some lawmakers continue to assert that video poker and its kissing cousin — the sweepstakes cafe — are bad, bad, bad for North Carolinians. Some of these same folks also believe North Carolina’s state-sponsored and state-run gambling operation — the lottery — is good, good, good for us. So good, in fact, that they voted to create the state-run lottery in 2005.
Video poker, however, was banned several years ago. Now the focus is on getting rid the sweepstakes cafes.
Opposition to video poker-style games has been almost unanimous at the General Assembly, which goes into session next week, but some influential senators are suggesting the only solution may be to highly regulate new sweepstakes parlor gaming and tax it heavily if it can’t be banned.
“If there is no way we can stop it by law, we then should certainly collect a very, very aggressive tax, and hopefully that would also retard its use,” Senate leader Marc Basnight, D-Dare, said in an interview.
Sen. Basnight was among the 25 Senate members who voted FOR the lottery in 2005.
For those who weren’t here when the state lottery was created, the North Carolina Family Policy Council, which opposed the lottery, has an excellent summary of how the vote went down.
