Jim,

I agree with you that a child under the direct supervision of a parent while playing slots should not be a criminal offense.

However ... for the sake of appearences, it is probably not a good idea. Consider the following:

1) What if the parent or the child move away from each other, you now have unsupervised child gambling
2) What if a minor is smart to play only next to slot machines that are occupied by someone who could appear to be a parent.
3) What if other kids walking by the slots area see a kid playing and not realize that the kid was under the supervision of a parent and then think it was OK for them to play by themselves

I could imagine that there are a lot of other situations were the wrong impression could be given that could lead to unsupervised minors gambling. It is probably better that minors are banned, whether supervised or not, from casino gaming areas.