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CONWAY, S.C. (AP) -- A judge has ruled that 24 video machines seized this summer in Little River are illegal gambling devices and should be destroyed.

Myrtle Beach area solicitor Greg Hembree says video parlors have returned to the state after video poker was outlawed in South Carolina 12 years ago. Operators say the new machines are technically legal and operate on chance.

Horry County Chief Summary Court Judge Gerald Whitley ruled Wednesday that to use the games, players must insert a card with money attached. Customers can wager free plays and can cash out winnings from the clerk where the game is located.

Whitley ruled that because the machines operate by a slot for coins or something of value, they are illegal under state law.