In North Dakota, U.S. District Judge Daniel Traynor recently denied Powerhouse Gaming’s request to reactivate about 500 electronic pulltab machines shut down on July 8 by state Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem and Director of Charitable Gaming Deborah McDaniel. Powerhouse officials said the shutdown interfered with its business and contracts and violated its right to operate the machines, and also sought monetary damages in its July 17 lawsuit.
Stenehjem said the company had failed to prove it had purchased a software license for each device it operated in the state.
In denying the motion, Traynor wrote Powerhouse failed to show that “immediate and irreparable injury, loss or damage” will occur before its case is heard. He added, the case is not an emergency situation and any harm that may have been prevented already would have occurred. “In the end, this is a case that largely involves money damages that can be recouped if Powerhouse’s claims prove successful,” Traynor wrote.
