St. Louis County official calls for crackdown on video gaming machines

Councilman Ernie Trakas, R-6th District, seen here on Tuesday, July 27, 2021, in Clayton.

JEFFERSON CITY — A member of the St. Louis County Council is calling on police to crack down on video gaming machines that have flooded Missouri gas stations and bars.

In a letter to the chairwoman of the county’s Board of Police Commissioners, Republican Ernie Trakas on Friday urged police to investigate claims of illegal gambling related to the machines.

“I have reviewed the applicable law and it is my opinion that these devices constitute illegal gaming devices,” wrote Trakas, who is an attorney. “This illegal gambling is not taking place in dark alleys late at night, but in plain sight at our local convenience stores, bars, taverns, restaurants, gas stations and beyond.”

The letter marks the latest bipartisan and thus far unsuccessful effort by elected officials to address the spread of machines owned by companies such as Wildwood-based Torch Electronics, which claims its games are not illegal.

Efforts by police and prosecutors to take on the proliferation have stalled amid questions over the legality of the games. Attorney General Andrew Bailey said the issue is for local prosecutors to determine.

Torch, meanwhile, has sued the Missouri Highway Patrol for harassment related to its probes into the machines. That case may go to trial in October in Cole County.

Trakas, who represents a swath of south St. Louis County, sent his letter to Thomasina Hassler, who was appointed to the Board of Police Commissioners in 2019. Hassler could not be reached for comment Friday.

In the letter, Trakas argues that legal gambling can only take place within the state’s 13 licensed casinos, which are heavily regulated and taxed. Over the past five years, Hollywood Casino and River City Casino have paid $205 million in taxes to the county enabling growth and development in the region, Trakas wrote.

“The illegal slot machine operators and their manufacturers siphon these benefits out of our county every day, and we must not sit idly on the sidelines while they attempt to destroy 30 years of a successful partnership between the county and our home dock casinos,” the letter said.

Observers say the outcome of Torch’s lawsuit against the state may be key to determining how the games are regulated going forward.

But, the case has faced delays. In April, attorneys working for Bailey withdrew from the lawsuit citing a conflict of interest after the Republican accepted campaign contributions from political action committees linked to Torch’s lobbyist, former Missouri House Speaker Steve Tilley.

That resulted in the state having to hire outside counsel to take over the case more than two years after the lawsuit was filed.

In July, Cole County Judge Daniel Green reluctantly agreed to move the trial to October, despite opposition from the attorney for the state’s casinos, Marc Ellinger.

“I kind of agree with Mr. Ellinger. It needs to be done,” the judge said.

Forbes reports gambling can be a potentially harmful and severe addiction with the ability to negatively impact your personal and professional life.

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