Iowa City Reminding Their Casinos 

The state of Iowa allows for alcohol prizes to be awarded from slot machine winnings. This means that the slot machines can be located in the state’s bars and if someone wins they can pay them out in alcohol instead of some other form of prize. This works out well for many of the bars and everyone seems to like it. However, in Iowa City, it is illegal to pay out slot machine winnings with alcohol and yet, some bars are still doing it. 

The city’s officials have recently sent out a warning to bar owners reminding them that city code does not allow this sort of slot machine pay out as they realized that there were people who were doing exactly that. They can pay out the slot machines with other kinds of prizes, but that is all. They said that they are going to start cracking down on those places that are not following the rules and they could find their slot machines being taken away or their businesses closed down. 

The ordinance went into effect seven years ago, but they have never really felt like they had to stay on top of people to enact it – that they were following the law on their own. However, after more research they have seen that there are many places breaking that law. They said that they want to see their residents kept safe and if they are being plied with alcohol this is not going to happen. 

Instead of getting a food prize or something like that for their slot machine dollars instead they are getting alcohol which only leads to binge drinking. They say that the state of Ohio can do what they want, but in their city they are keeping their people safe.