Missouri’s Attorney General cracks down on illegal gambling operations
MISSOURI(KBSI) – State leaders in Missouri say they are pushing to regulate gambling more tightly and protect consumers.
Missouri’s Attorney General, Catherine Hanaway, is taking action against what she calls illegal gambling operations throughout the state.
“When you combine the video lottery terminals, plus the illegal hemp products that are being sold in very concentrated levels at C stores, oftentimes package like kids candy or cookies, and then a new to the market drug called 708. I’m just concerned very concerned that not only can people get all this stuff in in one place and it’s dangerous, but the people who are profiting from it are going to start to fight with each other” says Hanaway.
Hanaway says she’s cracking down on illegally housed gambling machines called video lottery terminals and fishing table games. The state says those machines violate Missouri gaming laws because they aren’t regulated by the Missouri gaming comittion.
“I’ve undertaken an initiative to go after the people who manufacture, distribute, own or have in their businesses video lottery terminals, vaults” says Hanaway.
Currently 5 retail stores in Dunklin County Missouri face lawsuits for illegally housing machines.
Those stores are Discount Spirits and Tobacco in Kennett; Dixie Package in Malden; Kennett liquor and tobacco in Kennett; Laura’s mini mart in Kennett; and Swindle’s Quick Shop in Malden. Hanaway says these are just the beginning of many more.
“These particular stores made it to the top of the list because the Dunklin County Prosecutor is doing such a good job” says Hanaway “and we’re partnering with him to target these stores first but it’s just the first of a very long list of places we’re going to go after in the next few months.”
The Missouri Attorney General saying this comes in an effort to protect Missourians from unregulated gambling and the goal is to shut down the machines and prevent unlawful gambling.
“It’s going to make a big difference for particularly rural Missouri, where so many places have these machines and they are illegal, they’re untaxed, they’re unregulated, and too many people are just losing their life savings, putting them in these machines” says Hanaway.
Related articles:
About AG Hanaway | Attorney General Office of Missouri
