Gary Samms Discusses Illegal Slot Machines in The Wall Street Journal

Gary Samms, who chairs Obermayer’s Professional Liability Practice Group and the Catastrophic Loss Group, was quoted on December 27, 2022, in The Wall Street Journal about the U.S. casino industry’s campaign over what it says should be considered gambling. The article, titled “Casinos Fight Back as Games Resembling Slots Rise,” discusses skill-based games and how in some states, videogame machines that look like Las Vegas-style slots have moved into bars, convenience stores, and social clubs. The game developers say that, unlike gambling that occurs on slot machines, these games require players to use skill to win money. Casino-industry lobbyists say the games are gambling.  Samms and his client believe them to be illegal slot machines. They call them a thinly veiled attempt to operate slot machines outside of gambling regulations and avoid taxes. 

Parx Casino, represented by Gary Samms, argues that the companies are operating what amounts to a criminal enterprise that creates unfair competition for licensed gambling operators. Parx paid $50 million for a slot-machine license and pays about 54 cents of every dollar from slots to taxes, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit is pending in U.S. District Court in Philadelphia.

“The proliferation of illegal games got to the point where it just can’t be tolerated,” said Gary Samms.

Read the full article here.