Meigs County Slot Machines

A Franklin County Common Pleas Court is determining whether or not a slot machine is an amusement game or actually a slot machine. Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro issued an opinion saying that any game that guarantees a rate of return is a slot machine. Slot machines do not involve skill, and thus cannot be considered an amusement game.

The Meigs County liquor permit holder that was operating the slot machines is the one appealing Petro’s opinion against the slot machines. The Ohio Liquor Commission has several cases right now before it that they need to decide on that involve slot machines, and they are waiting to see how the pleas court rules before proceeding. If the court says that they are not slot machines, then all of the other slot machine cases that are currently sitting there will be thrown out as well.

If they are determined to be slot machines, the punishment for operating illegal slot machines is a maximum six months in jail and $1,000 fine. The state has received more than 300 complaints of illegal slot machines, and has written more than 200 citations against the illegal slot machines. There is also the wait to see if voters will approve a measure to legalize slot machines in Ohio. If slot machines are legalized, then all of the slot machine cases will presumably be thrown out.

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