A Southern California mother has filed a multi-million dollar lawsuit against a Chuck E. Cheese’s franchise that she claims is operating a gambling business that puts children at risk for developing gambling addictions.
 
San Diego resident Denise Keller filed a class action lawsuit against CEC Entertainment, a company that owns Chuck E. Cheese’s family restaurants, alleging that many of the ticket-dispensing games found in restaurants violate state and federal anti-gambling laws because they are games of chance, not skill.  In addition to damages of not less than $5 million, Keller “seeks restitution from CEC and an injunction prohibiting it from offering these devices to its customers in the future.”
 
The plaintiff accuses the restaurants of operating slot machines and says “[y]oung people are especially vulnerable to the attractions of gambling.” 
 
According to the lawsuit, the games in question come with flashing lights and bright colors but they take only a few seconds to play and require no skill.  “There was no fun involved in the game other than an opportunity to win a prize,” Keller's attorney Eric Benink said. He added, “It’s just pure random luck in terms of spinning out a result. That, we believe, is a slot machine as California penal code spells out.”
 
A spokeswoman for CEC Entertainment, Brenda Holloway, would say only, “Our company policy is that we do not comment on pending litigation.”
 
—Source:  CBSSacramento