You know, I could probably almost see where they're coming from, but still...
(to use an old, tired phrase) this is madness.

It's probably not a bad thing to have this in place, if only to have the rules in writing.

That said, there must be more important things going on in South Carolina, surely?

/b

I agree with beemoh. Nothing wrong with getting it down on paper so someone can't bring a frivolous lawsuit later. Now if they can just get rid of the crappy pizza, smelly play areas, and creepy pervert costumes we'll be all set.

*facepalm*
*headdesk*

Where did JBT come into this? I think this article had nothing to do with him. Not to be a mod or anything, but FFS, can we focus on the issue at hand?

@Altair

You never know what he can get into.

I have an idea. Lets put "fun" in a blender and then blend the shit out of it till its nothing but a bloddy mess.

This has got to be the biggest example of a pointless law ever. Its not gambling. Putting a dollar into the lottery is gambling. Scratchcards is gambling.

Getting tickets for a well played game of skeet ball is not gambling. Out of all the things I've read on this website this has to be the one that gets me miffed the most.

Chuck E Cheese used to be good about 20 years ago when they had all the classic games. The games that are there today suck.

At first I thought, "What? Why would he do this?"

Then I read that this is basically a consumer protection law. Folks, this is gaming legislation that is GOOD. It merely updates the term gambling to exclude Chuck E. Cheese and other similar restaurant/arcades from any association with gambling.

Wait? People still go to Chuck E. Cheese?

Shouldn't be a problem. Carnival games aren't contested. CEC also allow alot more skill than normal gambling devices. And they're alot less illusionary about what the prize is. The tickets come easy, and the prizes are pretty cheap.

Although, come to think of it, pinball had this same problem when casinos started using them. NY alone held their ban on pinball unitl the 80's. This could be the same issue.

Must they nanny every last thing...heres how you manage gambling have the store kick the ass holes out,if theya re not putting money into the amchiens they they should not place bets amugst them selfs......

and if they are calling the games to win tickets gambling I am ready for the world to fall into the sun now.....

Sadly I agree with this. The games pretty much ARE gambling. The games are also governed by a payout chip set to dispense tickets at a certain percentage, just like a slot machine. The games also require very little skill or no skill at all, its basically put in a token and press a button for a random outcome, on some games. These redemption type games are in all arcades though, and are accessable to children in pretty much every arcade, so if they were to be regulated you would have to go further than just CEC.

Skee ball requires skill, but many of these other redemption games do not, go play some at an arcade and you will see what I am talking about.

However, the fact that a child will get addicted to these machines is probably nonexistant unless their parents take them there every night. Its up to the parents here to decide when its too much, if it gets to that point. I cannot think of an instance where a kid has gotten addicted to these machines, this is probably due to the parental intervention required. Its also worth noting that CEC doesn't allow children in their arcade alone, while many other arcade chains could care less how many kids are running around in there unsupervised. You have to be 18 to be able to walk into CEC without a parent or responsible adult.

@lumi

You almost said that like it's a bad thing.

Yeah cuz we all know inside the mouse suit is a specialized craps game going on.

If this is considered gambling then paying a small fee to participate in a raffle is gambling.

@Sara

I don't consider it gambling completely, but it falls into a gray area. You cannot invest your winnings back to get more winnings. You insert TOKENS and you get TICKETS. Chuck-e-Cheese tickets are not exchangeable for tokens. You cannot put the tickets back in the machines to play for more tickets. When you get the tickets, it's the end of the line. They're useless unless you exchange them in the pool of prizes.

i can see it now "swat team raids local chuck e. cheese" straight out of the onion

So if I understand this correctly, Anything game that is based on chance and involves money is know as gambling and is illegal to children. So the only thing that makes this legal is that you are using purchased tokens to earn tickets to trade in for prizes. The games still require some type of payed currency so by gambling laws this should be illegal. Right? Wrong?

I cannot beleave this is nesasary.

OK,....... so you are gonna teach my kids to gamble......., then, not let them continue as adults unless they continue to go to chucky cheese?! This makes no sense at all, COLUMBIA! This state made so much money in percentages before they outlawed video poker and then brought in the lottery........ amazing how those two happened about the same time, huh? Now, if the money goes to education from the lottery, then why do some districts around the state have to wait a month or two to get thier money? Do we not have enough people down there to count pennies and distribute them accordingly in a timely manner or are our state leaders using that money temporarily for something else? Looks pretty obvious to me! It seems that if a man or woman wants to put a dollar or whatever into a machine that is a game of skill as well as chance and is on the winning end of the outcome, then there should be a way to redeem thier winnings wether it be a gift certificate to a restaurant, wal-mart, etc. The player wins, the state wins, as well as the game operator eventually. The state ought to keep the money in this state because the money is leaving and going to Cherokee, NC or wherever else.

This is obsurd...

Gambling by definition is wagering money or something of value, on an uncertain outcome, for a chance to win more money or something of material value.

If skill is required to gain something of value, then it's not considered gambling.  Take for example, a golf tournament.  Players pay an entry fee to compete and the winner of the tournament receives a large sum of money for being the best.  Unlike the lottery, everyone is subject to set odds (or chance).  No one has an advantage over the next person.  You put in money, cross your fingers and hope to win.  That's gambling.

Going back to the golf tournament, if I were to place 2:1 odds on Tiger Woods to win the Masters (I being the House that pays out the cash), then that's considered gambling because I have given you an opportunity to win more money based on chance.  Now anyone that wants to win more money on the outcome of the golf tournament, will be subject to my set odds payout. 

CEC games are not gambling.  There are no odds of winning.  All their games are skill based for you to win tickets and redeem for prizes.  But if you offer a kid 20:1 odds of hitting the 100 hole in skeeball, then you're gambling.