Ancient gambling devices to be returned

2007-05-11 17:24:44

Antique gambling devices that were confiscated from a dealer in Whitefish, Montana, in January are set to be returned, it has been revealed.

The Associated Press (AP) has reported that the items, thought to be worth around $80,000, will be brought back to the store from which they were taken following the signing of new legislation.

The state governor signed a law making it legal to own the items earlier this week, with artefacts including old blackjack and roulette tables and punchboards now set to be returned.

The Gambling Investigation Bureau had confiscated the items due to confusion over the laws, which the items' owner Ron Turner described to the news agency as "obsolete".

"This is a good start. The law is OK for now, but in the long term it's a real mess," Mr Turner told the AP.

The bureau had contended that the devices were still able to be gambled on and hence were illegal. Total US revenue from gambling in states where it is legalised topped $30 billion last year, it was revealed earlier this week.


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