“Com-chek” machines which dispense credit card loans would be banned fromIowa gambling casinos under a proposal which cleared the Iowa SenateWednesday afternoon. The proposal was offered as an amendment to a billwhich would establish a moratorium on gambling expansion. Senator AndyMc-Kean, a republican from Anamosa, has long sought to pull out of thecasinos any machine which dispenses cash. He calls this bill a compromise.Mc-Kean’s amendment permits A-T-M’s which allow gamblers to get cash fromtheir bank account, or a couple of hundred dollars in a cash advance from acredit card. But to prevent gamblers from getting thousands from theircredit cards, the proposal would yank “Com-check” machines. Senator MaryLundby, a republican from Marion, said Mc-Kean’s proposal was “good middleground.”But Senator Matt Mc-Coy, a democrat from Des Moines, said government has nobusiness trying to save people from themselves.Senator Jack Rife, a republican from Durant, said the ban infringed onpersonal rights. The proposal faces an uncertain future. Senate DemocratLeader Mike Gronstal hopes to change the minds of a few Senators in order toreverse the 27-to-22 vote approving the measure.
Iowa's Radio News Network
