South Carolina legislators thought they had rid the state of video poker and gaming machines when they passed a law banning their use last July. But new Internet gambling machines started appearing in some parts of the state and Attorney General Charlie Condon feels the devices are in violation of the newly passed law.
Players can put money into the "Touch Easy Keno" machines to log onto the Internet, or to play a game where a computer picks numbers and winnings are paid back to the player.
The keno games started showing up in Li’l Cricket convenience stores in Spartanbug, the Herald-Journal of Spartanburg reported recently.
The company that makes the machines, First Link Inc. said there is no difference between offering the games for residents to play and traditional sweepstakes offered by candy bar manufacturers or fast-food restaurants.
But some state politicians disagree.
Wallace Cheves, vice president of First Link Inc. explained his stance to the Herald-Journal.
"We're operating a completely legal Internet sweepstakes," Cheves said. "The consumer is only allowed to purchase Internet time as they would purchase a Coke or a Mars bar in a sweepstakes."
The difference is that consumers get to keep the candy bar or hamburger in a promotional sweepstakes, but get nothing tangible from the Internet game, said state Sen. John Hawkins, R-Spartanburg.
Hawkins last month asked the State Law Enforcement Division to investigate.
"I think this is a very positive step," Hawkins said. The attorney general, he said, "is identifying these new machines for what they are, the rebirth of video gambling."
First Link, which has been in business a little more than a year, is testing the machines in 10 different locations in Spartanburg, Greenville, Myrtle Beach and Rock Hill, Cheves said.
The kiosks are meant to give people on the go a chance to check their e-mail or surf the Net. Customers can buy a card for 100 minutes of Internet time for $20. The card can be used for Internet minutes even if the customer does not win the sweepstakes.
Condon said the Internet machines are slipping through a 1999 amendment to a 1942 law that prohibits gambling where alcohol is sold. That amendment exempts promotions and sweepstakes used by fast-food and grocery chains.