Wednesday, June 07, 2006

As reported by the Charlotte Observer: "State senators voted Monday to end
video poker gambling throughout most of North Carolina next year, ending a
seven-year battle to rid the state of a form of gambling that opponents have
described as a scourge. "'If you have a cause you believe in, stick with
it,' said Sen. Charlie Albertson, D-Duplin, who has led the Senate fight
against the gaming machines. The proposal he endorsed bans video poker
everywhere except casinos on Cherokee land. "Senators have made banning
video poker a mission -- voting to rid the state of the gambling machines
five times since 2000, the year South Carolina banned them. After each of
the first four votes, those senators ran into opposition from Mecklenburg's
most powerful lawmaker, House Speaker Jim Black.

"Black, a Matthews Democrat, capitulated a few weeks ago as another form of
gambling -- a state lottery -- has taken off and as the speaker's political
fortunes have waned.

".A compromise Black proposed two weeks ago will force video poker operators
to sell some of their machines every four months and have all of them out of
the state by July 2007. A Senate plan proposed earlier this year would have
rid the state of all the machines by December.

".The bill now goes to Gov. Mike Easley, who is expected to sign it."