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[RouletteGhost]

Airball is here in my state due to loopholes
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The same goes for roulette, which has a real ball bouncing along on a real wheel. Ditto for baccarat, where actual cards are dealt — under plastic — by a robot to each player.

In 2005, the Lottery Division sought a court ruling that "any game of chance — including such casino games as poker, blackjack, craps and roulette — could be a lottery if operated by the state."

But a judicial appeals panel wrote: "Such a broad interpretation would expand the constitutional exception permitting state-run lotteries to such an extent that it would swallow the general constitutional prohibition on gambling."

Then, the top bench, the Court of Appeals, stated definitively: "Clearly, the limited constitutional exception for state-run lotteries cannot be read to allow any casino game (such as poker, blackjack or roulette) to constitute a valid lottery if operated by the state."

No matter. The Lottery Division has blessed the introduction of table games. They are huge moneymakers at Aqueduct and racinos in other areas of the state.

At Aqueduct, each table game brings in an average of $21,790 a day in bets, as opposed to an average of $4,383 wagered daily on the VLTs. Collectively, the table games see bets of $19.9 million a day while operating 20 hours a day. That came to $7.2 billion bet in the last fiscal year, more than the $6.5 billion bet on the VLTs.

Cuomo is pushing for a constitutional amendment that would legalize casino gambling in New York. What's the point? It's already here — regardless of what the law may say.