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Missouri isn’t the first state to face an illegal slot
machine problem, and, like other states, the slot machine problem stems from
poor management and often confusing slot machine legislation. Currently
Colorado faces a similar problem, but Colorado’s problem seems to be easier
to solve than the Missouri slots problem. Unlike Colorado, the Missouri
Gaming Commission has the ability to control the slot machine problem, but
it seems that they just don’t act on the ever growing presence of illegal
slot machines.
Currently the illegal slot machines operate in bars, restaurants, and truck
stops—but according to the Missouri Gaming Commission’s Enforcement Manager,
Ernie Raub the real problem lies in the danger slot machines bring to the
state’s citizens. The fact that illegal slot machines operate without
adequate gambling addiction centers cause real concerns for the citizens of
Missouri.
Raub went on to explain why illegal slot machines plague Missouri, “A slot
machine in a good location could take in several hundred dollars a day.” A
concern for the government centers on the fact that because the slot
machines are operating without government consent and oversight, the
government does not receive a percentage of the slot machine revenue as is
customary in states where the slot machines operate legally and with
regulations.
Raub estimates that the slot machine problem is to the tune of 15,000 to
20,000 illegal slot machines currently operating. Conservatively, Raub
guesses that the absolute minimum of illegal slot machines is 5,000 slot
machines spread throughout the state. Even at the low end of Raub’s ballpark
figure, slot machines are netting at least a million dollars every single
day—and considering what the state’s percentage of that amount should be,
Missouri is quickly beginning to address this illegal slot machine problem.
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