New electronic machines are appearing in more bars and other businesses around Indiana, but speculation grew as it showcased a possible loophole in the state’s gambling laws. After an investigation, the state’s excise police deemed them illegal, and are now ridding them from restaurants and other stores, according to the news channel WANE-TV.
These sweepstakes machines offered an array of online gambling games including roulette and poker. Now, the police will notify all of the establishments and the manufacturers of the new rule, and will check on them at a later date, according to the news source.
These establishments are allowed to type II gambling under the state’s law, which includes tip board games, pull tab and punch boards, the media outlet reports.
According to the Associated Press, bar owners across the state believed that there was nothing wrong with the machines, as people were awarded based on predetermined sweepstakes systems and not strictly on luck.
"It’s no different than me playing on my computer at home and possibly winning money," Beth White, the owner of Wrigley Field Bar and Grill in Fort Wayne, told the news source.
