Perdue talks of sweepstakes ban during stop in Greensboro
GREENSBORO — Gov. Bev. Perdue is pushing for enforcement of the ban on sweepstakes machines that mimic gambling, but she isn’t ruling out a version of the money-making operations under the control of state lottery officials.
“There is a $3.6 billion deficit in North Carolina and there are a lot of us looking under rocks for any potential source of revenue that might save the teachers and may create jobs in North Carolina,” Perdue said after a speech Thursday at the Safe Communities Conference at the Koury Convention Center. “But there’s going to be a lot of discussion as we balance the budget, so I’m not sure what you’ll see.”
The state has been trying to outlaw video poker machines since at least 2006. They ushered in sweepstakes-based games that connect to a remote server which — instead of any action by the player — determines the outcome. Makers of the games have argued that players are simply revealing the outcome of a sweepstakes in an entertaining way.
The governor said she was awaiting guidance from the attorney general, but some local district attorneys have advised local law enforcement to hold off on enforcing that ban.
“It’s a monster that’s hard to kill, evidently, according to the statutes,” Perdue said.
Earlier at the conference, sponsored by the Governor’s Crime Commission, Perdue applauded the work of the 500 professionals in attendance from a variety of fields, involving crime victims services, crime prevention and law enforcement.
Contact Nancy McLaughlin at 373-7049 or nancy.mclaughlin@news-record.com
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