Bill aims to discourage underage gambling with penalty, fine

BY MELISSA SANTOS | THE NEWS TRIBUNE • Published February 01, 2009

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Card rooms in Washington already get punished when they allow people under 18 to gamble. Now they say it’s time for the kids to get in trouble, too.

A bill in the Legislature would make it a civil infraction for a minor to gamble in nontribal establishments, creating penalties similar to those for underage drinking.

The state Senate voted unanimously Friday to approve the bill. It now must pass through the House and be signed by the governor.

In the South Sound area, nontribal gambling is allowed in Lakewood, Federal Way, Fife, Ruston and Lacey.

Stakeholders on both sides of Lakewood’s battle to regulate minicasinos say the youth crackdown would be a good thing.

“The worst thing I think is for these kids to not be caught,” said David Anderson, chairman of Save Lakewood, the group behind last November’s failed initiative to ban minicasinos in the city. “I think it would prevent more of them from gambling, certainly.”

Frank Miller, a Tacoma attorney who represents Lakewood’s four minicasinos, said he hasn’t spoken with his clients about this bill, but the move is supported by card rooms around the state.

He said casinos work very hard to keep out underage kids to avoid getting fined by the state.

“There’s really no incentive to cater to underage people,” Miller said.

“When these things occur, they’re not intentional. They’re an occasional oversight, or sometimes they involve the use of fake IDs.”

Since 2004, the Gambling Commission has conducted 331 undercover stings with underage operatives to see whether card rooms comply with the law. Only 44 percent of establishments tested in 2004 passed inspections. Last year, 78 percent did.

Supporters say there is no deterrent in the law to keep people under age 18 from trying their hand at these games, even though it’s illegal.

“Currently the operator of the card room or casino, they’re fined heavily and the juvenile just walks right out the door,” said state Sen. Jerome Delvin, R-Richland, the bill’s sponsor. “This, I think, will bring some awareness to those juveniles who think gambling is OK and fun.”

Under the provisions of Senate Bill 5040, minors who gamble would receive a civil infraction and $125 fine, along with the possibility of four hours of community service. They’d also be forced to forfeit any winnings.

The bill is supported by the state Gambling Commission, nontribal casinos throughout the state and the Family Policy Institute of Washington, an interfaith group. No one spoke out against it during its committee hearing last month.