LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – The maker of video game consoles seized as illegal gambling devices has won a court battle with Nebraska state regulators.
The Nebraska Supreme Court issued a ruling Friday that state officials cannot ban the Bank Shot video games that started appearing in bars in 2008.
The Bank Shot gaming devices consist of a 19-inch touchscreen video monitor that offers puzzles and the possibility of cash prizes.
The court ruled that the video game now qualifies primarily as a game of skill, and not chance, because of modifications made by game-maker American Amusements. The ruling says as many as 430 Bank Shot games were placed in 143 different Nebraska cities.
The ruling says Bank Shot has been played nearly 66 million times as of February 2010, with 50 jackpot prizes awarded.