More than a month after investigators raided the West Valley lounge where he worked, Bobby Burns pleaded guilty Monday to eight misdemeanor counts - all gambling and alcohol-related offenses.

The court hearing was the latest evidence of a state and local effort to eradicate gambling in establishments serving liquor. So far, gambling machines have been seized at two West Valley beer halls. The effort continues, with state agents investigating similar setups across Utah, said Lt. A.C. "Andy" Anderson of the state Department of Public Safety's investigations division.Investigators seized gaming machines from the Voyager Lounge, 3399 S. Redwood Road, during a December raid of the premises.

Burns and another employee, Linda Leonhardt, whose age was not available, were subsequently charged in 3rd Circuit Court withgaming-related activities. In return for Burns pleading guilty to the eight charges, Judge Edward Watson dismissed the remaining 10 counts.

Burns pleaded guilty to gambling, unlawful consumption of alcohol, intoxicated persons, pos-session of a gambling device/record, prohibited acts by employees of alcohol establishment, operating without a police I.D. and two counts of gambling promotion - all Class B misdemeanors.

Leonhardt pleaded guilty to gambling and unlawful consumption of alcohol, both Class B misdemeanors, in return for the judge's dismissing three additional charges.

"Linda's part in this was a minor part," defense attorney Bruce Larsen told the court. Both Burns and Leonhardt will be sentenced Feb. 18.

From the outside, the video poker, keno or slot machines may appear above-board to customers, officials say. The machines are deemed legal by a clause in Utah law that allows for electronic amusement games that reward the user in terms of additional games, not a monetary payback.

But the machines are being modified so that when players wrack up points, the machine may be cleared by the operator after each game. Based on the number of points, the player may get a monetary payoff, often paid out by the bartender, Anderson said.

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"You can take a $20 bill and put it through on of those machines just that fast," he said.

The raid of the Voyager Lounge and the seizure of gaming machines at the Plaza Billards, 1754 W. 3500 South, both resulted in formal charges. The scope of the gambling investigation, which involves cities and rural towns alike, is immense, Anderson said.

The effort followed complaints from citizens who reported their spouses were losing entire paychecks at gaming machines. Anderson said one retired woman called and said her husband was spending their retirement checks at the gaming machines operated by a local beer hall.

"She called me, saying `Hey, can't you help me one way or another?' " he said. "The gambling problem in the state of Utah is much larger than people thought it was. It goes from one end of the state to the other."

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