Worried about crooked carnies at the fair?  We don’t blame you.  They don’t have the most stellar reputation and there is a reason for that but they do have someone watching them when they’re in Tulsa.

Tulsa Sheriff’s Sergeant Mark Stevens says they inspect all the games to make sure it is possible to win.  He says they may not be easy but so long as there is a chance you can win they are legal.

That chance however must not be something random.  Games of chance, AKA gambling, are not legal.

Stevens points out that the game where you shoot baskets do not use a regulation sized hoop.  He says they are smaller than regulation but so long as the ball can fit through them it is legal.

The games get an initial inspection before they open and then may also get another inspection later.  Stevens says they do that throughout the fair’s run.

Stevens says it is not legal for a game operator to offer free games.  That is a tactic sometimes used to lure people in.

The Tulsa State Fair is known nationwide as a carnival game oasis according to Stevens.  He says that means carnival workers know that we keep a close eye on the games and make sure there is no cheating.

That doesn’t mean it never happens but Stevens says they learn quickly not to do it again after a trip to jail.