Mom files suit against Chuck E. Cheese's, illegal gambling

[Bateluer]

http://www.fox5sandiego.com/news/kswb-chuck-e-cheese-lawsuit-san-diego,0,3075990.story

SAN DIEGO -- A San Diego mother of two has filed a civil suit against Chuck E. Cheese saying the popular children's attraction features games that are "illegal gambling machines."

The parent company, CEC Enertainment LLC wants a judge to dismiss the suit entirely, according to the plaintiff's attorney Eric Benink.

"My client became concerned about some of the games her two children were playing at a local Chuck E. Cheese," said Benink, a partner at Krause, Kalfayan, Benink & Slavens, LLP. "Many of the games actually are no different than a roulette wheel."

In the lawsuit, the plaintiff, Denise Keller, alleged the games of chance found at Chuck E. Cheese are essentially slot machines that pay out tickets instead of money.

"Under California law, it doesn't matter if it pays out money," Benink said. "What matters is whether it pays out anything of any value. In this case it pays out tickets, which are redeemable for prizes."

Benink said if his client wins, it would force Chuck E. Cheese to remove all games of chance from their California businesses and to pay back all the money people put into those machines.

"The size of the damages is unknown at this time," Benink said. "Certainly it's millions of dollars."

The lawsuit only focuses on games of chance.

"A skeeball game or a Space Invaders game all have elements of skill," Benink said. "We don't challenge those."

Benink said CEC Entertainment is seeking to dismiss the civil suit and said a judge is expected to rule on that decision sometime in mid-June.

"CEC Entertainment believes the Keller suit has no merit and we intend to vigorously defend ourselves," said Brenda Holloway, a spokesperson for CEC Entertainment.

Regardless of how the court of law rules, in court of public opinion, many parents Fox 5 News spoke with characterized the lawsuit as "frivolous."

"The only reward they're giving out are little trinkets and a lawsuit in regards to that is just absurd," said Chris Thornton, a dad that took his two children to Chuck E. Cheese on Thursday.

"It's just for your kids to hit a button and get excited tickets are coming out," said Lauren Wynglarz, a mom of two.

At least some of the parents surveyed seem to be intelligent people. The lawsuit is clearly BS, Mrs Keller needs to be smacked hard for wasting the court's time with this nonesense

 

[ShawnD1]

At least some of the parents surveyed seem to be intelligent people. The lawsuit is clearly BS, Mrs Keller needs to be smacked hard for wasting the court's time with this nonesense

The person has a point. In a real casino, you give them money in exchange for tokens. You use these tokens for gambling purposes. At chuckecheese you give them money in exchange for tokens. You use these tokens for gambling purposes.

iirc, most of the shit at bullwinkles was real games like whack-a-mole. The token scheme was in such a way that if you won every time it would still be a rip off for the prize you get. Nothing illegal there. It's a rip off, but it's not illegal.

 

[ConstipatedVigilante]

Huh? For it to be gambling, wouldn't there have to be the possibility that the kids could 'win big'? The tickets aren't redeemable for cash, and you never get back the amount of money you put in. That's just spending it.

 

[Lithium381]

Wow....really? I suppose the only real solution is to sell all the land that CC is on to a Native American tribe....then it's legit.

This is some BS....I need to get out of this state. I'm convinced that she will win, regardless of how ridiculous it is.

 

[Doppel]

LOL but seriously you need to have the target acquisition skills of a Terminator to get anything of value from those games and even then it's only going to be a $.60 plastic soldier after $10 in tokens.

 

[ShawnD1]

Wow....really? I suppose the only real solution is to sell all the land that CC is on to a Native American tribe....then it's legit.

lol that would be so bad ass. CC should totally setup shop on indian land. Kid gambling for little shitty tokens on one side then the parents are hardcore gambling and drinking and smoking on the other side. Everybody wins.

 

[GDaddy]

i am so old i remember when they had actual real video games

 

[Brigandier]

i am so old i remember when they had actual real video games

I loved Stick w' Hoop!

 

[Tom]

LOL but seriously you need to have the target acquisition skills of a Terminator to get anything of value from those games and even then it's only going to be a $.60 plastic soldier after $10 in tokens.

do you know how happy a 50 cent plastic bug can make a kid, when they are getting it because they "won" some games ?

anyway, I've never seen a game of chance at chuck e cheese, I think the lawsuit isnt based on fact.

 

[JSt0rm]

anyway, I've never seen a game of chance at chuck e cheese, I think the lawsuit isnt based on fact.

If thats the case then it should be a trivial thing for them to remove the games of chance.

 

[silverpig]

Huh? For it to be gambling, wouldn't there have to be the possibility that the kids could 'win big'? The tickets aren't redeemable for cash, and you never get back the amount of money you put in. That's just spending it.

Uh, no. You don't have to 'win big' in order for it to be gambling.

The lady has a point. You pay money to get tokens which you then use on a game of chance. You then get tickets which you can use to buy prizes. That's pretty much straight up gambling.

In Canada it is illegal to have pure games of chance above some certain value. We get around it by having a skill-testing question. When you win the lottery, you don't win the jackpot directly, you win a chance at the jackpot. Your chance is you have to correctly answer a skill-testing question, thus making it a game of skill.

[(2 + 3) * 4] - 5 = ?

 

[OCGuy]

Wow some people need to be removed from society altogether for wasting our time with this shit.

Please shut down every county fair...I pay money, and if I dont make the soft ball into one of the holes, I dont get a giant bear for my girlfriend.

Game of chance, o noes!

 

[drebo]

I have a solution to this dumb bitch: DON'T LET YOUR KIDS GO THERE IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT.

For the love of fucking God, be a fucking parent and set your kids some fucking limits. Don't like the games/company/food/atmosphere/whatever, DON'T PATRONIZE IT. Obviously, most people do like it and it's not their job to make sure your kid never experiences anything.

I hope this is tossed out.

 

[rudder]

The person has a point. In a real casino, you give them money in exchange for tokens. You use these tokens for gambling purposes. At chuckecheese you give them money in exchange for tokens. You use these tokens for gambling purposes.
.

How is it gambling? You put in a token, play a game of skill and try to win tickets. You cannot win more tokens. You win tickets.

If this were gambling then every carnival across the U.S. would have to close down.

 

[JSt0rm]

Wow some people need to be removed from society altogether for wasting our time with this shit.

Please shut down every county fair...I pay money, and if I dont make the soft ball into one of the holes, I dont get a giant bear for my girlfriend.

Game of chance, o noes!

They arent talking about those type of games.


The games they are talking about are like a "roulette table".

 

[DominionSeraph]

If this were gambling then every carnival across the U.S. would have to close down.

Carnivals have games of skill.

 

[JSt0rm]

from the article

"A skeeball game or a Space Invaders game all have elements of skill," Benink said. "We don't challenge those."

You guys need to read the fucking thing if you are going to comment.

 

[DominionSeraph]

from the article

"A skeeball game or a Space Invaders game all have elements of skill," Benink said. "We don't challenge those."

You guys need to read the fucking thing if you are going to comment.

You're asking stupid people (conservatives) to differentiate between things that can be described by the same noun.
Analysis is not their strong suit.

 

[drebo]

You're asking stupid people (conservatives) to differentiate between things that can be described by the same noun.
Analysis is not their strong suit.

Are you saying you agree with the suit?

I'd suspect you do, by the way you support nosey HSAs and other personal-life meddling.

To you, I say GTFO of my life and let me entertain my kids however the fuck I see fit. If I want my kids to go to Chuck-e-Cheese's and play games for tickets for worthless crap, I should be able to. No one is forcing you to support such an establishment.

 

[shortylickens]

You're asking stupid people (conservatives) to differentiate between things that can be described by the same noun.
Analysis is not their strong suit.

Yeah umm, sorry but its traditionally liberals who sue people for bullshit reasons, like the world hasnt aligned itself to make their dreams come true.

 

[JSt0rm]

Are you saying you agree with the suit?

I'd suspect you do, by the way you support nosey HSAs and other personal-life meddling.

To you, I say GTFO of my life and let me entertain my kids however the fuck I see fit. If I want my kids to go to Chuck-e-Cheese's and play games for tickets for worthless crap, I should be able to. No one is forcing you to support such an establishment.

YOU FUCKING NOOB. IF ITS A GAME OF CHANCE IT IS ILLEGAL. A VIDEO GAME OR A GAME OF WACK A MOLE IS A GAME OF SKILL AND IS NOT INVOLVED IN THIS CASE. CHUCK E CHEESE HAS GAMES SIMILAR TO ROULETTE (GAMBLING).

Did that sink in?

Now if you want to argue that all gambling should be legal then start that thread. Otherwise stfu.

 

[ShawnD1]

Carnivals are rigged in such a way that you can't possibly win; therefore, it is not gambling.

fixed

 

[mrjminer]

YOU FUCKING NOOB. IF ITS A GAME OF CHANCE IT IS ILLEGAL. A VIDEO GAME OR A GAME OF WACK A MOLE IS A GAME OF SKILL AND IS NOT INVOLVED IN THIS CASE. CHUCK E CHEESE HAS GAMES SIMILAR TO ROULETTE (GAMBLING).

Did that sink in?

Now if you want to argue that all gambling should be legal then start that thread. Otherwise stfu.

Let me guess... the game where the light goes around in a circle and you try to stop it on the right light to lane on the number of tickets you get? I'm pretty sure that one is a game of skill, you just have to have the skill to stop it at the right time. Of course, it's possible there's some sort of randomization chip inside that makes it a game of chance.

However, I don't doubt that they have games that behave in a completely random manner, but I haven't been to Chuck E Cheese in a while, so I don't know for sure.

 

[spidey07]

Lulz. Sadly I see where she's coming from. Still no case, same as carnival games.

 

[CPA]

They arent talking about those type of games.


The games they are talking about are like a "roulette table".

Which game is like a roulette table? All of the games require input from the payer (child), so there is some amount of skill needed.