Gambling in W.Va.

Clarksburg's Elks lodge is taking an array of state officials to court as it fights to keep in business in the wake of a raid targeting 144 video raffle machines, The Associated Press reports.

"The lodge seeks the return of its liquor license, which the Alcohol Beverage Control Administration suspended the day of the raid," the article said. "It is also fighting to keep its licenses to offer charitable bingo and raffle games as well as limited video lottery machines."

As AP observes, the court case centers on the legal status of the raffle machines. But the lodge's desire to offer those machines also underscores the ongoing tension created by the limited video lottery machines competing with the longer-established but fading raffles and bingo games allowed for charities and service organizations.

The Journal of Martinsburg, meanwhile, reports on West Virginia's newest form of legalized gambling - casino table games - and the renewed debate over seeking them for Charles Town Races & Slots.