Missouri Residents Unsure if VLTs Should Be Banned

The city of Springfield has seen a heightened law enforcement activity in recent weeks, with police officers seizing video lottery terminals at bars and gas stations. The reason?

Attorney General Catherine Hanaway has ruled that these machines breach local gambling laws and ought to be removed willingly or forcibly if businesses refuse.

Springfield Residents Displeased with AG’s Overreach in VLTs

The ensuing action has been swift, with VLTs removed from properties all over the city, while AG Hanaway is also looking to expand her ruling and possibly encompass the entirety of Missouri.

A report by Yahoo! News, however, indicates that many people are not sure if this move is justified at all. In fact, residents are rather hostile towards the AG’s actions. “It’s my prerogative to spend my money how I want,” one resident told the media.

“I just wish they would wake up and realize that we’re all grown people around here. We should know how to spend our money,” she added. Lawmakers aren’t as keen to remove VLTs entirely and are rather working for a consensus where the machines may continue operating. 

Last week, the Missouri Lottery Regulatory Act was introduced, which is hailed as an attempt to regulate VLTs in a way that clearly inscribes their status in the state’s gambling framework. 

Gaming Commission Does Not Regulate VLTs, AG Says

Local bans such as the one introduced by Springfield in 2024 are counter-productive, most lawmakers agree, and do not resolve the larger issue, which is how to regulate VLTs and not disrupt a clearly-established business that is already contributing to the state’s coffers.

AG Hanaway, though, remains adamant. She argued that violent crime remained her top priority and saw VLTs as a direct contributor to it. 

The attorney general also said that the Missouri Gaming Commission did not really have a remit to regulate these machines, and it was down to prosecutors to enact the law, first in Springfield, but maybe statewide at a later point. 

In the meantime, the newly-pitched proposal could finally add clarity to the status of VLTs in the state and stop the AG’s office from meddling further.