Nevada Bars ‘Child-Friendly’ Slot Themes

The Nevada Gaming Commission on Thursday passed tough new regulations limiting “child-friendly” themes on slot machines statewide.

On a 5-0 vote, the commissioners prohibited themes that they said were derived from youth-oriented movies, books, television shows and video games aimed at an under-21 audience.

“What we did today is make it crystal clear that you will not see any themes on slot machines in Nevada that apply to children--not now, not ever,” said Gaming Commission Chairman Brian Sandoval.

The issue arose last year when state regulators--who must approve themes--received several applications from slot machine manufacturers seeking to use characters attractive to youngsters and teenagers. They included Superman and characters from the animated cable TV show “South Park.”

Regulators devised the new guidelines with the help of the industry, which said Thursday that the rules are fair and would be followed.

“This is something we worked on hand-in-hand, and we’ve found some good middle ground,” said Ed Rogich, vice president of marketing for Reno-based International Game Technology, the world’s largest slot machine manufacturer. The firm had proposed the “South Park”-themed slot machine.

Even Republican presidential candidate John McCain weighed in on the slot debate. The chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee has said that he may hold hearings on the use of child-oriented slots in other states.

Under the new Nevada rules, TV show themes such as “The Munsters” and “I Dream of Jeanie,” will be allowed on slot machines, because they were created more than 21 years ago, the cutoff date set by officials.

Officials said they will use strict guidelines in approving slot themes. Slot themes based on TV programs deemed acceptable for children, board games recommended as suitable for players under 21, G-rated movies, and books or magazines designated by the Library of Congress as children’s literature will not be allowed, officials said.

“In Nevada, there is no strict prohibition against having minors walk through casinos or be exposed to gaming machines,” said Steve DuCharme, chairman of the state gaming control board, which advises the commission. “We didn’t want to have machines that used children-friendly icons that would tend to draw an otherwise occupied child to this gaming device.”

Rogich said his company had not decided whether to shelve its “South Park” machine or explore marketing it in other states. “We’ve agreed not to submit the idea in Nevada, but I don’t know where that leaves us,” he said.