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A federal judge on Friday ruled that a Missouri-based gaming machine company known as “Torch Electronics" illegally operates thousands of online slot terminals at gas stations throughout the Show Me State. U.S. District Judge John Ross issued his findings.
By law, Missouri broadly defines a legal gambling device as any device, machine, paraphernalia or equipment that is used or usable in the playing phases of any gambling activity, whether that activity consists of gambling between persons or gambling by a person with a machine. However, lottery tickets, policy slips and other items used in the playing phases of lottery and policy schemes are not gambling devices within this definition.
Various lawsuits in recent years have alleged that Torch Electronics and others are operating “unregulated” slot machine-style devices, also known as video lottery terminals, and the federal judge agreed.
“Given this central fact that Torch Devices do indeed involve an element of chance – the devices clearly meet the definitions of gambling device,” Friday’s court ruling reads. “Necessarily, then, outside of a licensed casino, the devices are prohibited in the state of Missouri. They are illegal.”
The ruling could give local prosecutors and the Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway clear legal basis to seize Torch machines.
“My message to local prosecutors and to the public is, hey, we’ve got the resources at the Attorney General’s office to go up against these very well-funded owners of these machines, and we’re going to do it,” the attorney general said. “So we’ll do it arm in arm with local prosecutors, or we’ll do it on our own if we have to.”
- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com
