A House committee in Raleigh North Carolina recommended a bill today that would ban video poker machines in North Carolina by next summer.

There were no opposing votes as the House Rules Committee approved a measure that would slowly trim the number of machines any retailer could operate.

Currently the maximum is three; the bill would reduce it to two by October first, one by March first and zero by next July. The full House vote could come as early as tomorrow.

Speaker Jim Black has favored tougher regulations on the games instead of a complete ban. Black also has said video poker is a legal industry that generates thousands of jobs. Apparently he has changed his mind.

The Senate has approved a ban several times since 2000, including this year. The North Carolina Sheriffs' Association has also supported a ban, while the video poker industry opposes the idea.