Iowa Likely to Say Goodbye to Slots-like TouchPlay Devices
The Iowa House of Representatives recently passed a bill under which the state lottery's TouchPlay video gaming devices would be removed from all Iowa's businesses. The House's decision regarding the slots-like machines comes a day after the Senate's vote in favor of pulling the plug on the devices. Over 6,000 such machines have already been placed in different locations around Iowa, such as bars, convenience stores, restaurants, retail locations, and others.
Touchplay machines are indeed almost identical to slots operated in casinos. However, there is one major difference. While real slots generate winning combinations on a random basis, the software powering the lottery machines predetermines winners, in a manner similar to pull-tab games.
The final decision regarding the TouchPlay machine matter is now up to Iowa's governor, Tom Vilsack, who is currently on a trade mission to Hyderabad, India. On a prior occasion, Vilsack was reported as saying that he intends to honor any legislature's decision regarding the machines. The ban is likely to set up a court fight between the state and the private companies that have invested millions of dollars in the casino slots-style devices.
