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Thu
Nov 2 2000
On
Tuesday, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld an earlier
judge's ruling that MegaMania bingo does not fall under the definition
of casino gambling and is therefore legal in Indian casinos across
the West. MegaMania bingo machines are electronic, high-stakes
devices linked to those in other casinos throughout the U.S. Players
select cards with randomly generated numbers, and must pay 0.25
cents to $1 every 10 seconds to stay in the game. Federal officials
contended that the MegaMania device had an illegal "ante
up" procedure on its straight-line bingo game that created
a wager between the house and the player. A U.S. district court
disagreed, ruling that nothing in the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory
Act prohibits an ante-up procedure. This judgment was upheld in
Denver Tuesday. The court's ruling clears the way for MegaMania
in Indian casinos in Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah,
and Wyoming.
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