As popularity and revenues increase, the industry is trying to determine if Historical Horse Racing machines are slot machines or an extension of pari-mutuel gambling.
You write: "The overarching question around HHR machines is one the industry is grappling with on several fronts: Are HHR machines a game of chance (a slot machine), or are they an extension of parimutuel wagering?"
This is only a question if you have never seen people playing these machines. Nobody plays them as a skills game. No one looks up information about the horses to choose a horse to bet on. Attendants can't even explain how that works. Everyone hits the button and watches the reels spin. Over and over. Like a slot machine. That's why they were thrown out of Idaho.
You write: "The overarching question around HHR machines is one the industry is grappling with on several fronts: Are HHR machines a game of chance (a slot machine), or are they an extension of parimutuel wagering?"
This is only a question if you have never seen people playing these machines. Nobody plays them as a skills game. No one looks up information about the horses to choose a horse to bet on. Attendants can't even explain how that works. Everyone hits the button and watches the reels spin. Over and over. Like a slot machine. That's why they were thrown out of Idaho.