Monday, July 18, 2005 | 9:51 a.m.
INDIANAPOLIS -- Faced with declining revenue, state lottery officials are assessing the extent of illegal gambling at Indiana's truck stops and convenience stores -- businesses where illegal devices often compete with lottery tickets sold only a few feet away.
Starting this year at Gov. Mitch Daniels' urging, Indiana's excise police began raiding taverns and fraternal clubs, seizing cash and yanking circuit boards from the video-gambling machines and other devices.
Excise police have shut down more than 500 machines and seized $30,000 in cash, but their jurisdiction does not extend to truck stops and convenience stores where no alcohol is sold.
Hoosier Lottery Executive Director Esther Schneider intends to order a count of lottery retailers to get a clearer picture of how many of them have illegal gambling devices.
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