MARKETPLACE
....
NEWSLETTER
NEW YORK LAW JOUR-
NAL
APRIL 17, 1974
PAGE 4
Text of Opinion
IN THE MATTER OF THE PETI-
TION OF ALBERT SIMON,
INC., and SEABOARD NEW
YORK CORP., petltloners·appel-
lanlll, v. BESS MEYERSON,
AS COMMISSIONER OF THE
DEPARTMENT
OF
CON-
SUMER AFFAIRS OF THE
CITY OF NEW YORK. respond-
ent-respondent.
Decided April 16, 1074.
Before Nu11e:::, J.P.; Ku/'fcrm1111,
Murpf1y, Steuer and Tilzer, JJ
Appel\! from a judgment of the
Supreme Court (Spiegel, J . 1, en-
tered In Ne\ ":ork County on Jan.
17, 1974, dismissing the pellllon.
•
,
Isadore B. Hurwitz and P
C1tmpbcll Brown, uttomcy:s for
pctlt1oner.i-uppcllants.
Nina G. Cold.stein of coun:
IL. Kl.'vln Sh!'rldun with h
the bflef: Adrian P . Burke Cor-
poration Counsel J tor rci.pondent·
rl.'spondcnt.
statute violates the constitution.
The avowed object of the legisla-
tion Is to prevent the use ot
gambling devices while allowing
machine., providing amusement.
The statutory test as to what Is
a gambling device In a coin·
operated machine ts whether there
is any element of chance In the
playing of tho game. Initially, It
should be remembered that play on
these de\·lcc., Is not In tho nature
ot a conte:1t, where the player
competes against an opponent.
Where a mr.chlne Is so designed,
l\S where tho player receives a
reward contingent on hi:i making
a cc1·taln score, In the form of a
prize of l\ny descrlptlon.-even to
the extent ot getting permission
to play the game again without
pnying-thc game may well be de-
scribed as a contest between the
player and the machine owner:
and, It dependent on chance aa
opposed to skill, be deemed a
gambling device. Hore, concededly
no such clement Is present. Here
the player ls exactly In the same
position vis-a-vis the proprietor nr
the dc\1cc whether his score ls
good, bad or lndil'Cerent.
The statutory test distlnguishlng-
grtmbling Crom amusement. pro-
\"ided that test 1:1 not Illusory I os
It l:i difficult to conceive or any
dt•vlcr In which lh<' outcome would
n'lt be al'fectcd In i
chance> hos no t·t>latlon to tho
object to be l\ltulned, namt>ly, tho
lr.tcr
pl.1ycr can neltht'r ~aln nor lose
·'" a result of the ~ame. It would
thcrt'fore apJ><'ar that there Ill
lacking any "fair. ju!'t or 1·eason-
ab!e connection" between the
statutory test and the promotion
of the welfare and safety of
society-the nece:nt to
validate a n <-xercise of the police
power t Ptoptc v. <..:llli
:;so. ·101. q11ol<'c.I with nµpt'Ovnl In
l't•uJ\I!' \'. 111111114, !l N. Y. :?cl 1. 3,
ct ""'I\. Att tht' "lt1l11lc lnd
lion to the c\•11 It Is dc::.l;:-ned to
a void. it l
1 Detiancc Jltllk Products Co. v.
Ou Mond. 300 N. Y. 537. 541 l.
The judgment entered Jan. 17,
1974. In New York County I Spiegel,
J.1 should be r
:md the relief demanded tn lhe
petition i:"r"nlcd. without costs.
Scl tic 01c.IN on nolicl'
PAGE 4, JUNE 30, 1974
Stc.111.r, J.-Thc pctltlonel's nwn-
ufacturers of what ill'e called
"common show games." devices in
the nature or pinball machines,
submitted samples of !our such
machines to respondent Commis-
sioner of Consumer Affairs for ht'r
aprrovol. Approvnl wo11 accorded
to the m:ir.hin<':1. nrnn11rtict11ro W;•s
hr~1m. nncl mnchlnl'I• were Hold
11ncJ h1>1l11llNJ In vnrlollH r1cml:cr11
n hout I he t:lty l:i11m.-wh.1t O\'Cr a
yrar l11tN, rcsrond<-nt, upon a
from a pollC<' C.'-J'l<'•t thut tht> ma-
chln<-:s wert' i:-..imbllng dt'vlces :ind
ht>nce prohibited tinder R<-ctlon
B32-40.0 of the Admlnlstrutlve
Code, withdrew the approval there-
tofore granted.
~.1ls proceedmg \inder Arllclt> 78
10'1< .vcd 1l Is baited on llt'Vct-al
j1'n1 nd~. We a,::..-cc with rc11pondrnt
1:1.. m;iny or lhcsl' n 1·t 11ntrnnhlc.
~ i
illy, thrtl' !'an b" no <'1
,\II l·«111·11r rx•·<-pt Tl/ :,.r. J , whn
•·C , Ol
l 1 • 1ut1111UQn /\ flllbllc oflkc1 1:1 ,..,,,., ""'· J. nl 8f'C'C.:Hll TNm.
n · T ir<-d lo 110 net 1f;me1man v.
<.;: • or Ntw Yen 1<, ~4 A . O 2d
oo." 90:Z I. Hardship rcsulllng from Thia is the copy of the decision to which attorney
thf correrllon does not change the
Theodore Blatt refers in his letter of the previous
nil IN Y City Employres' Rt'-
1 in !:;v,.trm ,. Bllol. :!li7 N. V.
page. A Tery important decision tor all of Nev York
!!1:1 20~ 1 :-;01 c.lo wr line.I thnt the
state operators and especially in Nev York City.
>
Uowevcr, we do 11.nd lhat the