Alternatively it could be argued that prior history should not factor into sentencing as his previous time was him paying off his debt to society. That should, it could be argued, square the ledger.
Conversely you're in effect saying he must be re-punished for previous transgressions.
And at the end of the day, whatever your position, prior's or not it simply boils down to Poker machines. And 15+ yrs is, lets be honest, ridiculous.
You're forgetting the racketeering factor, i.e. he's a high-level member of an ongoing criminal enterprise. So, no, it doesn't really boil down to just video poker machines.
In the larger picture, I'm all for increased penalties if people prove to not learn their lesson the first, second, third, etc. time around. It shows they're non-reformable and insist on continuing to be a drain on society. They deserve no sympathy.
