Video poker talk resurfaces at NC Legislature

RALEIGH -- Arcade machine owners who want to return to the video poker business in North Carolina say they want to remove the cloud hanging over the games. A House judiciary committee heard about a bill Tuesday to legalize video gambling terminals again and give the state 20 percent of the profits. The Legislature banned the machines in July 2007, but there has been a series of legal rulings that threaten to invalidate the ban. Video poker had been tainted because one of its biggest supporters was then-House Speaker Jim Black. He is in federal prison after pleading guilty to a corruption count unrelated to video poker. No vote was taken on the bill Tuesday. There's not much support from leaders in the House and Senate. (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)