WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3, 1982
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GOVT PROPOSES COMPREHENSIVE CONTROL OF VIDEO GAMES
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THE GOVERNMENT IS TO INTRODUCE A BILL TO PROVIDE FOR BETTER CONTROL OF VIDEO-GAME ESTABLISHMENTS AND FOR STRONGER PENALTIES AGAINST THOSE CONVICTED OF RUNNING ESTABLISHMENTS ILLEGALLY.
THE MISCELLANEOUS LICENCES (AMENDMENT) (NO. 2) BILL 1982 WILL BE PUBLISHED IN THE GOVERNMENT GAZETTE ON FRIDAY (MARCH 5) AND WILL BE CONSIDERED BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL NEXT WEDNESDAY (MARCH 10)
THE BILL DISPENSES WITH THE PREVIOUS DEFINITIONS OF AUTOMATIC MACHINE' AND 'AUTOMATIC MACHINE CENTRE' AND INTRODUCES A NEW AND ALL-EMBRACING DEFINITION OF AMUSEMENT GAME CENTRE'. THIS DEFINITION MAKES LICENSABLE ANY PREMISES WHICH USE ALL IMAGINABLE TYPES OF AUTOMATIC OR VIDEO GAME MACHINES.
AS A FURTHER PRECAUTION, TWO SCHEDULES TO THE BILL ARE LINKED TO THE DEFINITION. ONE SCHEDULE ALLOWS A SPEEDY AND FLEXIBLE WAY OF MAKING A LISTED INCLUSION INTO THE LAW OF NEW OR OMITTED MACHINES, BY ORDER OF THE GOVERNOR-IN-COUNCIL. THE OTHER SCHEDULE ALLOWS EXEMPTIONS UNDER SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES SUCH AS THE USE OF MACHINES FOR CHARITABLE PURPOSES.
THE BILL GIVES THE COURTS MANDATORY POWERS ON CONVICTION TO ORDER THE CONFISCATION OF THOSE MACHINES WHICH HAVE BEEN SEIZED FROM ILLEGAL OPERATORS, UNLESS THE OWNER CAN SHOW SPECIAL AND EXCEPTIONAL REASONS WHY THIS SHOULD NOT BE DONE.
THE PROPOSALS ALSO ALLOW FOR AN INCREASE IN THE MAXIMUM FINE FROM $1 000 FOR BREACH OF REGULATIONS AND LICENSING CONDITIONS TO A MORE REALISTIC $10 000 AND TO $50 000 FOR OPERATING AN UNLICENSED ESTABLISHMENT.
A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN SAID THERE WAS A HARD-CORE OF OPERATORS WHO SEEMED DETERMINED TO FIND WAYS OF OPERATING OUTSIDE LICENSING CONTROL. THE LATEST OF THESE DEVICES HAD BEEN TO USE MACHINES WHICH HAD BEEN ALTERED SO AS NOT TO SHOW A SCORE.
+WE DECIDED THAT THE ONLY EFFECTIVE WAY TO DEAL WITH THIS PROBLEM WAS TO RADICALLY AMEND THE LAW SO AS TO PUT VIDEO GAME ESTABLISHMENTS FIRMLY AND CLEARLY WITHIN THE ORDINANCE, THE SPOKESMAN SAID,
+WITH THESE PROPOSALS, INCLUDING THE PROVISION TO QUICKLY BRING ANY NEW OR OVERLOOKED MACHINES INTO LICENSING CONTROL IT IS EXPECTED THAT THE LEGISLATION WILL COVER ALL CIRCUMSTANCES,+ HE STRESSED.
HE SAID THAT A LETTER IS BEING SENT TO THE HK AMUSEMENT MACHINE ASSOCIATION TO INFORM THEM OF THE PROPOSED CHANGES IN THE ORDINANCE. THERE IS NOW NO EXCUSE FOR OPERATORS TO TRY AND RUN THEIR BUSINESSES OUTSIDE LICENSING CONTROL.
AS OF MARCH 1, A TOTAL OF 1 422 APPLICATIONS FOR LICENCES HAD BEEN REVIEWED BY THE COMMISSIONER FOR TELEVISION AND ENTERTAINMENT LICENSING. OF THESE, 490 HAD BEEN APPROVED, 227 REJECTED AND 455 WITHDRAWN. THE REMAINING 250 ARE BEING PROČESSED, AND ALL THESE WOULD BE DONE WITHIN EIGHT WEEKS OF APPLICATION. THIS MARKEDLY INCREASED THROUGHPUT OF APPLICATIONS HAD BEEN MADE IN SPITE OF A 30 PER CENT INCREASE IN THE LEVEL OF APPLICATIONS OVER THE LAST TWO MONTHS.
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