Skill games must be removed now, says AG spokesman

Skill games must be removed now, says AG spokesman

YOUNGSTOWN — Owners of games of skill such as Tic Tac Fruit do not have three days to remove the machines and could be charged with a criminal offense immediately for failing to do so.

Leo Jennings, spokesman for Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann, said today the law governing the ownership of the machines went into effect as soon as Gov. Ted Strickland signed it Thursday morning.

The law made operating the games a part of the criminal gambling statute and defined the games as slot machines, he said.

Individuals possessing or operating the machines face prosecution under either a felony or misdemeanor charge, Jennings added.

He speculated the information about having three days to removed the machines came from a press release the office issued Aug. 22 that outlined steps the attorney general took at that time to stop owners of such machines from labeling them a “skill-based amusement machine.”

For the complete story, see Sunday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com.