Missouri AG Defends Enforcement Against Slot-Style Machines Amid Legal Pushback
2026-07-27
Source: Yogonet
Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway defends her office's crackdown on slot-style machines in bars and gas stations as two lawsuits challenge the enforcement. She argues the machines are illegal games of chance, while a key hearing is scheduled for August 12.
Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway has publicly justified her office's campaign against slot-style gambling machines found in bars and convenience stores, as legal challenges mount over the enforcement tactics.
Two lawsuits filed by machine operators allege that Hanaway's office pressured retailers to remove the devices by threatening prosecution and licensing actions without offering operators a chance to respond. Hanaway countered that the machines are illegal under state law because they are games of chance where players have no control over the result. “If you go and you play this machine and you can’t affect the outcome, then it’s a game of chance, and it’s illegal in Missouri,” she said in an interview with Gray Media's Missouri Capitol Bureau.
Hanaway noted that her office has reached agreements with several of the state’s largest machine operators to remove the devices, and has worked with the Missouri Highway Patrol to execute search warrants and seize machines in roughly 10 counties. She argued that businesses under investigation face the same legal procedures as any other criminal case, emphasizing that offering or promoting illegal gambling is a crime under Missouri law.
One of the lawsuits is set for a hearing in Cole County Circuit Court on Aug. 12. The outcome could affect the scope of the state's ongoing crackdown on unregulated gaming machines.