COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWinehas angrily rebuked a promoter of video
raffle machines, saying thebusinessman misstated his office’s legal position on the games andshould
retract his statements.In a March letter to Tim Smith, theattorney general wrote: "Your
organization is misrepresenting theAttorney General’s position on your machines. We demand that you
ceasemaking these misrepresentations, and take steps to correct thesemisrepresentations."Smith is a
liaison to the Ohio Veterans &Fraternal Charitable Coalition, and a consultant to
CharitableManagement & Capital Group, the vendor of the machines that arepitched to groups like
the Masons, Eagles and Moose. DeWine’s officereleased a copy of the letter Friday to The Associated
Press.Smithsaid in a letter last spring to member charities of the coalition thatDeWine is "fully
in favor" of the terminals and agreed they were legal —a statement DeWine says is not true. In
Smith’s letter, obtained by theAP, Smith described the devices as "a raffle form of bingo"
that’slegally allowed in Ohio.He sought to assuage clients’ concernsthat the raffle terminals might be
considered Internet cafes like thosenow targeted by a proposed statewide ban."This is unsettling
forthose fraternal and military organizations that either have some ofthose machines in their clubs or
posts, or are contemplating addingCMCG’s Video Raffle Terminals to their organization," he
wrote.Smithdescribed "many meetings" with DeWine, Gov. John Kasich and CharitableManagement
chief executive Al DeLeon to work out details for acceptingthe machines statewide."They are fully
in favor of our raffle-based terminals and agree they meet the criteria for the Revised Code,"
Smith wrote.But Kasich spokesman Rob Nichols said in an email Friday: "That is not an accurate
description of our position on this issue."DeWinespokesman Dan Tierney said the attorney general
has given the coalitionuntil Aug. 1 to get state lawmakers to legalize the machines orcoalition members
will face enforcement action for the machinesremaining in operation.Lawmakers could legalize the
machines as part of legislation on Internet cafes that the state Senate is currently debating.Copyright
2013 The Associated Press.
