What investigators found when they inspected Boardwalk games

Jim Walsh, Cherry Hill Courier-Post
·2 min read

NEWARK - When vacationers missed their shots at basketball challenge games on two South Jersey boardwalks, they might have thought, "Well, that's the way the ball bounces."

But state investigators found some balls were likely to bounce the wrong way because they'd been over-inflated — sometimes by almost three times the recommended level.

Boardwalk ban

The Attorney General's Office on Wednesday announced a 10-year ban for Christine Strothers, who operated basketball and football challenge games on boardwalks in Wildwood and North Wildwood.

Strothers, who could not be reached for comment, also was fined $15,500.

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Strothers held seven licenses last year to operate games at stores and businesses along the Boardwalk, the Attorney General's Office said in a statement.

Bouncing balls

Investigators last summer found several over-inflated basketballs at her games, the agency said.

It said an over-inflated ball "can bounce erratically when it hits the rim or backboard of the hoop.”

“The issue of over-inflated basketballs has been an area of focus recently for the (state Legalized Games of Chance Control) Commission,” the statement added.

It noted game operators were notified in August 2021 that the commission would be inspecting balls and issuing violations.

Additional violations

Strothers also violated regulations for the display of prizes, including showing large plush animals that customers could not win, the statement said.

In another violation, it alleged, “an investigator was not immediately given change after paying $20 to play a quarterback challenge game that cost $10.”

LGCCC inspectors check each of the state’s amusement game license-holders at least once a year, the statement noted.

The investigators last year conducted 7,000 inspections resulting in about $35,000 in penalties and violations.

Jim Walsh is a senior reporter with the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: State bans game operator on Wildwood, North Wildwood boardwalks