North Carolina video poker nets $100m
Legal video poker machines in the US state of North Carolina nets the local economy a total of more than $100 million each year, new figures reveal.
A report by gambling interests in the state, on the south east coast of the United States, suggests that the online video poker industry is benefiting the state, with more than 1,750 jobs created annually.
The 58-page document is an attempt to combat moves to legislate against the operation of video poker in North Carolina by lawmakers including state senator Charlie Albertson.
Opponents of the machines claim that they have a negative impact on society, but the study indicates that video poker machines actually boost the local jobs market and generates cash for the state economy.
North Carolina has an estimated 10,000 legal video poker machines in operation and the industry has managed to resist attempts to ban them with the help of allies such as house speaker Jim Black.
Played in stores, arcades and shops across the state, an attempt to file a bill against the machines by Representative Ronnie Sutton this year was referred to the House Rules Committee and has not resurfaced.
The machines are generally unregulated and, with gambling legal in every US state except Utah and Hawaii, they generate billions of dollars in the country each year.