{"id":46249,"date":"2017-03-06T14:00:51","date_gmt":"2017-03-06T22:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=46249"},"modified":"2017-03-06T16:29:38","modified_gmt":"2017-03-07T00:29:38","slug":"utah-raids-shut-down-hundreds-of-slots-but-makers-say-theyre-legal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/utah-raids-shut-down-hundreds-of-slots-but-makers-say-theyre-legal\/","title":{"rendered":"Utah Raids Shut Down Hundreds of \u201cSlots,\u201d But Makers Say They\u2019re Legal"},"content":{"rendered":"

A slot machine<\/a> sting in Utah, the joint-\u201cdriest\u201d state in America when it comes to gambling, has resulted in the impounding of more than 500 machines in gas stations, small markets, ethnic markets and restaurants across the state.<\/p>\n

\"Senator
Utah State Senator Curt Bramble was one of three lawmakers who demanded an investigation into the machines having been approached by concerned members of the public. (Image: Stacie Scott, Deseret News)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Authorities said that, over the past year, $12 million to $24 million had flowed through the machines, installed at some 130 businesses throughout Utah. The raids began on Wednesday and are said to be \u201congoing.\u201d While no arrests have been made, Leo Lucey, Attorney General\u2019s Office Chief Criminal Investigator, said in an official statement Thursday that the operators of the machines could face \u201cmultiple felony charges.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Attorney General\u2019s Office has focused its operation today on a large number of gambling devices that we allege are illegal under Utah statute,\u201d said Lucey. \u201cBecause these devices are out in the open and are available to anyone, they present an especially dangerous threat to youth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blanket Prohibition<\/b><\/h2>\n

Lucey said that the investigation, which included local, state, and federal law enforcement, had been launched over the summer after requests from three state representatives, who had in turn been approached by concerned members of the public.<\/p>\n

Utah is the only state in the US, except Hawaii, that prohibits gambling in all its forms, even lotteries and, yes, raffles. Even the act of gambling is considered a class B misdemeanor, rising to a class A if you\u2019re caught twice.<\/p>\n

\n

Jason Chaffetz<\/a>, US representative for Utah\u2019s third congressional district, meanwhile, has been one of the most outspoken supporters in Washington of the movement to ban online gambling at a federal level over the past few years.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Gumball Rally <\/b><\/h2>\n

But the company that makes and distributes the machines, Intermountain Vending, said last week the AG\u2019s actions were \u201cdisappointing and regrettable\u201d and it believed it was operating within the confines of Utah law, despite its draconian prohibition of all games of chance.<\/p>\n

The company says the machines have a “no purchase necessary” option, while some of them give out gumballs whenever a quarter is added, in addition to the possibility of winning money.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cOur kiosks\u2019 function\u00a0has been thoroughly tested\u00a0and\u00a0we believe they meet all the requirements of Utah law,\u201d said the company in an official statement, Thursday. \u201cNow, instead of having a reasonable dialogue and working to resolve any perceived issues, Intermountain Vending will be forced into the unnecessary expense and inconvenience of dealing with this through the courts.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cMeanwhile, our merchant-customers will lose the benefits of increased foot traffic and retail sales which we provide them\u00a0and their customers are denied the opportunity to purchase our products and enjoy the entertaining features of our kiosks.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Lucey, users of the machines either directly insert cash or \u201cvalue cards\u201d purchased from a store clerk, and he begs to differ on the legal loophole.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the end, they are paid out in cash,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A slot machine sting in Utah, the joint-\u201cdriest\u201d state in America when it comes to gambling, has resulted in the impounding of more than 500 machines in gas stations, small markets, ethnic markets and restaurants across the state. Authorities said that, over the past year, $12 million to $24 million had flowed through the machines, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":46251,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[60,13,61],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nUtah Raids Shut Down Hundreds of \u201cSlots\u201d But Makers Say They\u2019re Legal<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Utah, America\u2019 joint-driest gambling state, has launched a sting on more than 500 slots machines in businesses across the state.\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Utah Raids Shut Down Hundreds of \u201cSlots\u201d But Makers Say They\u2019re Legal\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Utah, America\u2019 joint-driest gambling state, has launched a sting on more than 500 slots machines in businesses across the state.\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/utah-raids-shut-down-hundreds-of-slots-but-makers-say-theyre-legal\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Casino.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-03-06T22:00:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2017-03-07T00:29:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/url-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"283\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"178\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Casino.org Staff Writer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Casino.org Staff Writer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/utah-raids-shut-down-hundreds-of-slots-but-makers-say-theyre-legal\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/utah-raids-shut-down-hundreds-of-slots-but-makers-say-theyre-legal\/\",\"name\":\"Utah Raids Shut Down Hundreds of \u201cSlots\u201d But Makers Say They\u2019re Legal\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/utah-raids-shut-down-hundreds-of-slots-but-makers-say-theyre-legal\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/utah-raids-shut-down-hundreds-of-slots-but-makers-say-theyre-legal\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/url-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-03-06T22:00:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2017-03-07T00:29:38+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8c48bf89dc86da77b4d856c7b3b78d77\"},\"description\":\"Utah, America\u2019 joint-driest gambling state, has launched a sting on more than 500 slots machines in businesses across the state.\u00a0\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/utah-raids-shut-down-hundreds-of-slots-but-makers-say-theyre-legal\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/utah-raids-shut-down-hundreds-of-slots-but-makers-say-theyre-legal\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/utah-raids-shut-down-hundreds-of-slots-but-makers-say-theyre-legal\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/url-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/url-1.jpg\",\"width\":283,\"height\":178,\"caption\":\"Utah State Senator Curt Bramble was one of three lawmakers who demanded an investigation into the machines having been approached by concerned members of the public. 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