zuka
Age: 40
Joined: 28 Apr 2006
Posts: 332
Location: california
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 |  Posted:18.02.2007, 20:06 US LAW enforcement... |   |
please read this- saw it today at casinomiester-
true- it'll make your blood boil - did mine anyway, but then i realized....
this might be exactly what it takes to encite the average NON-gambling american voter!!
16 February 2007
It seems even antiques are gambling targets in today's America
Industry observers and online gamblers alike were aghast at the apparent pettiness of US enforcement officials in Whitefish, Montana this week when an Associated Press report divulged details a *raid* on a legitimate antique shop and the arbitrary confiscation of antique gambling equipment worth $77 000.
Among the items carted off unceremoniously by the state enforcement agents was a 19th-century roulette wheel and other historical gambling equipment - under the justification that the state has a law prohibiting the possession of unlicensed gambling equipment, authorities said.
Ron Turner, the owner of Cowboy Cabin Antiques has no idea what brought the power of the state down upon his head, saying: “Some of these things are over 100 years old. These are not gambling devices. These are antiques. It’s a historical collection.”
His protests were to no avail, and did nothing to deter three agents with the state Department of Justice Gambling Control Division who showed up at the store on January 31.
The agents seized two roulette wheels, two early 20th century punchboards and a chuck-a-luck — a small, hourglass-shaped cage that spins with three dice inside.
The agents marked as evidence and said they would return for a craps table, a blackjack table, a roulette table and a smaller craps table top — all 19th century items.
Turner said the items taken away from his store are worth an estimated $77,000.
The state has yet to file charges against Ron or his wife Eila, who recently moved to Whitefish from California, where they also sold antiques. The couple opened the Cowboy Cabin in December. Gene Huntington, administrator of the state’s Gambling Control Division, said the most likely charge would be misdemeanor possession of illegal gambling equipment.
Huntington said the state could destroy the equipment, use it for training or give it to a museum.
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