Cops fail to cope with new-age casinos
(From The Times of India Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge )JAMNAGAR: Those innocuous video game parlours in your city that never fails to excite your child may be hosting gambling dens.
The Jamnagar police recently raided a video game parlour and booked 12 persons under the Gambling Act. The cops seized 11 video game machines from a shop near Jaishree cinema in Jamnagar.
These 'casinos'are found by the dozen in many urban centres in Saurashtra, including Rajkot. The practice is catching up in many parts as this seems to be the closest that Gujarat has got to the casino culture.
But the police have been caught flatfooted as 'rogue'video game parlour owners seem to be walking a fine line between legal and illegal gaming.
Infact this tricky issue has landed the cops in court with the parlour owners refuting charges of gambling and accusing the police of harassing them.
The cops had little evidence to actually prove that the video game parlours were doubling up as gambling dens, especially after sun down.
In 2005, video game shop owners had filed legal suits against the Jamnagar police for raiding video game shops and accusing them of gambling.
"The issue is whether the player is relying on skill or chance to win the video game. Video game parlour owners claim the games are innocuous and skill-based, we have evidence that the 'doctored'video games are won more by chance and the winners get back tockens that may be encashed later,"said a police officer of Rajkot.
The Rajkot police had recently raided some video game shops in the Junction area. The raids failed to come up with any substantial results because of the cops'dilemma of whether this was a game of chance or skill.
"The video games that our children play are skill based. But, these machines have been doctored on the sly or fitted with tailor-made chips to make these games of chance that can be used for gambling,"Rajiv Bhagat, Jamnagar superintendent of police.
Bhagat has sought the help of forensic officers to ascertain how the video game machines were doctored to transform it into a gambling machine.
"Here you buy tockens, play video games that start operating soon as you press a button. Luck is more involved in winning these games. Winners get free-game tockens which may be encashed later,"said VD Gohil, inspector of A Division police station in Jamnagar.
The Jamnagar police is now also putting other video game parlours also through the scanner. "This operation was carried out in a covert manner because the slightest of hint to the accused would mean another raid in vain. Punitive action will be taken against any video game parlour found to be indulging in gambling,"said Bhagat. |
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