The People ex rel. Lisa S. Green, as District Attorney v. Kirnpal Grewal, Defendant…

Summary

The court held that Internet-cafe and telephone-card sweepstakes systems constituted unlawful slot machines under Penal Code section 330b. The statutory definition was satisfied because users activated integrated systems by PIN, account number, or magnetic card; the systems awarded cash prizes based on outcomes unpredictable to users; and the fact that results were predetermined and sequentially revealed did not eliminate the element of chance. The court affirmed the preliminary injunctions prohibiting defendants from operating businesses containing the sweepstakes, slot-machine, or lottery features.