One Hundred Forty Four Slot Machines Destroyed

One hundred forty four slot machines were ordered destroyed by the Hernando's Sheriff office.

The slot machines were crushed and dump in the landfill beginning last Wednesday and lasting until August 3.

The slot machines were confiscated at the Spring Hill game room owned and operated by Charles Bartlett.

Charles Bartlett's Commercial Way was raided last year and he entered a guilty plea last May.

The demolition of the slot machines was approved last Wednesday.

After the arrest of Bartlett in December in Spring Hill, he traveled to Bradenton where he started another game room.

Bartlett was arrested during the June crackdown.

Bartlett did not owned the destroyed slot machines, but he rented them from Reel Amusements at Murfreesboro, Tenn.

Kevin Sharp, chief manager Reel Amusements, maintains that slot video machines are legal in Florida.

Sharp had planned to file a lawsuit to prevent the machines from being destroyed, but the company's legal representatives did not manage to file the move.

Each slot video machine is priced at one hundred fifty thousand dollars.

Supporters of the game rooms suggest that the slot games were not indifferent from the arcade games.

The State Attorney's Office argues that the slot video machines are illegal because it is a game of chance and not a game of skill.

Monday, 11 September 2006
Marissa Patterson