Text Size
Smaller
Bigger
Gambling

California Mom Slaps $5m Lawsuit at Chuck E. Cheese's for Teaching Children to Gamble

posted 06:16 AM EST, Wed May 18, 2011
-- filed under:

Debbie Keller, a San Diego mom of 2 preschool aged kids, says the popular children’s entertainment venue/restaurant chain, Chuck E. Cheese's, is more or less teaching children to gamble by using illegal gambling equipment , modified to the tastes of children. She wants them to stop and is hoping her lawsuit will give the company 5 million reasons to do so.

Debbie Keller says that the games that Chuck E. Cheese's provides for its grade school and below audience are little better than training wheel slot machines that give young children a first taste of gambling.

Although California law allows for prize based games based on player skill, Keller says that many of the games at the popular kids’ restaurants are little more than casino style games, whereby a child buys a ticket, then spins a roulette style wheel or pulls a slot machine style lever – in the hopes of winning a prize.

Although she’s suing the restaurant group for a jury trial and a substantial 5 million dollars in damages, her lawyer, Eric Benink, says money’s not the reason behind the suit. He says Keller hopes to force the restaurants to remove the casino style games from their operations, stating, “We don’t think that children should be exposed to casino-style gambling devices at an arcade.”

In the text of the lawsuit, Keller argues that casino style games for kids might well increase a child’s risk of one day developing a gambling problem, writing that “(the games) create the same highs and lows experienced by adults who gamble their paychecks or the mortgage payment.”

Attorneys for the restaurant group have asked the judge to throw out the case, and say that anyway -  even if their games constitute illegal gambling, Keller has admitted to going and playing several times, which makes her a party to the illegal act and so unqualified to seek damages or restitution on that act.

Subscribe Subscribe to this topic category
Story Highlights
  • Children's Gambling Lawsuit: One mom says that pumping in bought voucher coins and pulling a lever in the hopes of winning a prize seems an awful lot like gambling for kids.
Creative Commons License
Copyright Notice
We welcome republishing of our content on condition that you credit Choose Help and the respective authors. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons License.
Helpful Information
4 Steps to Beating Sex or Internet Addiction Dr. Jeffrey Schwartz and his Four Step Program - through mindful awareness you can learn to overcome internet, gambling and sex cravings as you retrain your brain to stop sending such urgent messages of need. Read Article
Addiction Treatment January 25, 2016 (1)
A Gambling Intervention: 4 Steps to Success
4 Steps to an Effective Gambling Intervention © Aracalota
The 4 secrets to a successful gambling intervention – Convince someone you love to get some help for their problem gambling. Read Article
Gambling Addiction April 09, 2012 (4)

This website is certified by Health On the Net Foundation. This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information.

Find Treatment
Browse by region »
Scan to call us
using your phone camera app