TouchPlay task force releases full report, urges safeguards
Wednesday, March 08, 2006 posted 09:24 PM EST
A moratorium on additional licenses for Iowa Lottery TouchPlay
machines should stay in place until state lawmakers address controversies involving the gambling devices, Gov. Tom Vilsack said today.
Vilsack reacted to a state task force report on TouchPlay machines, which was released today and urged the implementation of additional safeguards to prevent minors, addicted gamblers and intoxicated persons from playing the machines.
"The state legislature now has a responsibility to thoroughly debate this issue and enact legislation based on sound policy, not politics," Vilsack said.
The Iowa Lottery has installed about 6,000 TouchPlay machines, which closely resemble casino slot machines, at about 2,800 locations, including taverns, convenience stores, groceries, and even tanning salons and a car wash. An additional 4,500 TouchPlay machines have already been approved that will be installed in the coming months.
The six-member task force was appointed by Vilsack, and it's already been criticized because it didn't consider the possibility of ordering the
removal of all the machines. Task force chairman Michael Mahaffey, who is the Poweshiek County attorney, said the issue of whether TouchPlay machines should be allowed at all wasn't within the scope of work requested by Vilsack.
The task force also didn't consider restricting or limiting the total
number of machines, or requiring local option referendums by counties to approve or reject TouchPlay machines. Eight counties in recent years have voted to reject casino gambling, prompting angry reaction by local residents when TouchPlay machines have been installed in their communities.
A majority of the task force members did, however, recommend that TouchPlay machines be removed from a small number of establishments not experienced in selling age-restricted products such as beer, wine, cigarettes or liquor.
The exact number of those locations wasn't available.
One of the panel's recommendations proposes that barriers be installed around TouchPlay machines at retail sites to establish age-restricted areas.
In addition, a sign would warn that customers under 21 will face a $250 fine for violating the restriction.
Some other recommendations include hiring 10 agents for the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation to monitor TouchPlay compliance, and to conduct random inspections of TouchPlay retail sites, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. ATM machines would have to be at least five feet from TouchPlay machines, and the Iowa Lottery and casinos would share a database of problem gamblers who have voluntarily banned themselves from gambling.
Other recommendations:
• Financing for the Iowa Gambling Treatment Program should be increased from 0.5 percent to 1 percent of TouchPlay net revenue.
• Requiring that TouchPlay machines remain silent when idle, and players would need to touch an "I agree" box or push the machine's "play" button to acknowledge that they are at least 21. They would also need to affirm that if they have signed a self-exclusion agreement because they are a problem gambler, they will not be permitted to claim any Iowa Lottery prizes either at the retail site or at any Iowa Lottery location.
• Imposing fines against establishments that offer TouchPlay when minors are found to have played the games. These fines could be tied to profits and would be in addition to TouchPlay license suspension penalties already in place.
There was no consensus among task force members on the following issues:
• Requiring background checks and licensing of all employees required to monitor TouchPlay machines, and that all employees are at least 18 years old.
• Requiring that ATM machines be out of sight of TouchPlay machines.
• Requiring the swipe of an identification card before the use of TouchPlay machines to ensure the player is at least 21.
• Requiring around-the-clock video surveillance, archived for seven days, of TouchPlay machines.
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