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Thu Nov 2 2000
On Tuesday, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld an earlier judge's ruling that MegaMania bingo does not fall under the definition of casino gambling and is therefore legal in Indian casinos across the West. MegaMania bingo machines are electronic, high-stakes devices linked to those in other casinos throughout the U.S. Players select cards with randomly generated numbers, and must pay 0.25 cents to $1 every 10 seconds to stay in the game. Federal officials contended that the MegaMania device had an illegal "ante up" procedure on its straight-line bingo game that created a wager between the house and the player. A U.S. district court disagreed, ruling that nothing in the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act prohibits an ante-up procedure. This judgment was upheld in Denver Tuesday. The court's ruling clears the way for MegaMania in Indian casinos in Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Utah, and Wyoming.
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