The Florida Supreme Court will hear a case regarding the legality of certain electronic games offered in bars and other establishments. In August, the 1st District Court of Appeal upheld a circuit judge’s ruling that the so-called “pre-reveal” games are illegal slot machines. But game developer Blue Sky Games and Jacksonville-based games leasing company Gator Coin recently filed notices with the state’s high court.
Supporters of the games have claimed the machines are legal because they include a “preview” feature that tells players the game’s outcome. But regulators and other critics said the preview feature is irrelevant because the game’s random number generator meets the definition of a slot machine—an illegal game of chance under state law. Another key consideration is whether the slot-machine law applies to playing a single game or a series of games, since players know the outcome of the first pre-reveal game is known in advance but not the results of subsequent games.
Blue Sky Games and Gator Coin filed a lawsuit after the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco ordered two business establishments to remove the machines. The appeals court upheld a ruling last year by Leon County Circuit Judge John Cooper, who originally sided with Blue Sky Games and Gator Coin but then reversed that ruling after the Seminole Tribe of Florida asked him to reconsider his initial decision.
