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TouchPlay lobbyists are concerned over the vacation choice of
members of the Iowa Legislature. With the very current debate over
the fate of the Iowa Lottery's TouchPlay machine just around the
corner, having the Iowa House Speaker and other state lawmakers
spending their vacation playing golf at Myrtle Beach with casino
lobbyists does not sit well with TouchPlay supporters. The
TouchPlay is a machine that has received harsh criticisms for it
similarity to casino slot machines,
Kimberly Haus, a lobbyist
who has worked for Ameristar Casinos and other companies vacationed
with four lawmakers and other friends this past weekend, reported
House Speaker Christopher Rants (R) today. According to Rants the
trip is an annual spring getaway and everyone paid their own way.
Rants said, defending the
trip, “Everybody pays. This is not Washington, D.C. We have ethics
laws here in Iowa and everybody paid. I've done this for six years.
Where does this [question] come from?”
“I look at most of those
folks who are lobbying on behalf of the TouchPlay folks, and I've
played golf with them at some point in time, too,” continues Rants.
“The fact of the matter is that this trip was planned starting last
fall. I've organized a trip to go golfing in the spring in the week
after the funnel passes six or seven times now.”
This coming Tuesday is the day set for the House to commence debates
over whether or not to ban the TouchPlay machine from Iowa
businesses. Officials from Ameristar have fought to pull all of the
machines from businesses on Main Street. The state of Iowa has more
than 6,000 TouchPlay devices in its taverns and stores.
Rants admits that he has been opposed to lottery machines for a long
time, but last weekends trip only coincidentally fell so close to
the Tuesday debates. TouchPlay supporters are not satisfied with
the coincidence excuse. Casinos have emerged as the TouchPlay’s
greatest opponents.
Scott Henneman, vice president and general manager of Oasis Gaming
of Omaha is calling for an investigation of the trip, “On the eve of
a vote, it just seems to me to be the appearance of it. Pretty
close ties with the casino industry and Speaker Rants—that’s the
appearance it gives. Whether that’s the case, that’s what needs to
be looked into.” Oasis Gaming is one of the Iowa Lottery’s TouchPlay
manufacturers.
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