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Missouri Attorney General Hanaway and his office have announced a new civil enforcement campaign to remove illegal gambling machines.
The games covered by this act are video gaming terminals (VGTs) and what state regulators call “fishing table games,” which remain unlicensed in the state.
It is a felony for any illegal gambling that occurs within the state’s borders, and it can carry significant financial and custodial penalties for violating the established Missouri Merchandising Practices Act.
Licensed operators are governed by processes established by the Missouri Gaming Commission, chaired by Governor Mike Kehoe.
The Missouri Attorney General is targeting VGTs
“When retail shops turn a blind eye or facilitate a space for illegal gambling, they are not only ignoring the law, they are putting our communities at risk,” Attorney General Hanaway said through a state office publication. website.
As part of an announcement from the legal hierarchy of the Ozark State, five major legal cases have been opened against retail businesses in Dunklin County for hosting unauthorized gaming machines.
These locations are highlighted in the Attorney General’s post. These include Discount Spirits and Tobacco, Kennett Liquor and Tobacco, and Laura’s Mini Mart in Kennett, along with Dixie Package and Swindle’s Quick Shop in Malden.
“Gambling promotion is a crime that harms our community by taking Missourians’ money. I am proud to work with the Attorney General’s Office to hold accountable those who operate illegal slot machines,” said Dunklin County Prosecuting Attorney Nicholas Jain.
In a statement on social media, Hanaway announced the upcoming civil action, saying, “Our Office will continue to work with local prosecutors and state officials to eliminate these illegal gambling sites.”
Illegal VGTs are in the crosshairs of the Attorney General
Missouri has a long-established relationship with one form of betting or another: lotteries, approved in 1986; river locations, approved in 1994; and daily fantasy sports, legal since 2010.
In December 2025, we reported the new routes coming to the state through sports betting. This change in gambling laws in the Show-Me State allowed FanDuel and bet365 to gain new gambling venues and more potential bettors as a result.
What is illegal and remains is any form of electronic gaming machines or the VGT mentioned in the publication of the Attorney General.
“Lawlessness has always been a magnet for organized crime. My Office will hold any business accountable for profiting from illegal activity, and we will do everything in our power to shut down illegal gambling and gambling machines,” Hanaway concluded.
Featured image: Missouri Attorney General’s Office
The post Missouri Attorney General Hanaway launches crackdown on illegal gambling machines first appeared in ReadWrite.
