US Slot Machine Laws
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Gambling was big business in the ‘Old West’, where casinos were set up as saloons along the American frontier. But that was before the invention of the slot machine by Californian Charles Fey in the 1890’s. Due to its unscrupulous nature in those times, casino gambling was eventually outlawed throughout the United States up until the 1930’s, but some forms of gambling were still accepted in non-casino venues. Because states are afforded the individual right of authoring their own gambling laws, it wasn’t until Nevada chose to legalize casino gambling in the 1930’s that slot machines went from an intermittent form of entertainment in sporadic locations, especially California and New York, to an enormous industry of their own.
Just how prominent are slot machines in the US? In 2010, the American Gaming Association (AGA) published a study in which research showed the total number of slot machines in the United States. At that time, slot machines were only legally present in 38 states (it’s up to 41 now). They allowed for one, two or all three of the following categories; Slots at Commercial Casinos, Slots at Tribal Casinos and Slots at Non-Casino Venues. The grand total revealed 832,988 slot machines in the United States.
Commercial casino slots account for more than half of all slot machines in the United States, 428,266. The highest number of commercial casino slots was, of course, found in Nevada, totaling more than 170k, followed by Mississippi (34.1k), New Jersey (30.7k) and Pennsylvania (24.7k). Tribal casino slots are most populated in states where commercial casinos are prohibited, or at least highly restricted. The highest number of slots (67.6k) are found in California, where tribal casinos are the only authorized locations for slots. Oklahoma came in second with 53.8k tribal slot machines, as opposed to just 1,000 commercial casino slots.
As for slot machines found in non-casino venues throughout the US, there are only 6 states that authorize such activity: Louisiana, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota and Virginia. There are over 83,000 slots of this nature across those six states, the majority being in Montana and Nevada with about 19k a piece.
The following chart depicts the availability of legal slot machines in all 50 US states (and the District of Columbia).
|
Legality of Slot Machines & Types in the U.S. by State/Territory |
||||
| U.S. State/
Territory |
Any Legal Slot Machines? |
Commercial Casinos w/Slots |
Tribal Casinos w/Slots |
Non-Casino Venue w/Slots |
| Alabama |
Yes |
– |
Yes |
– |
| Alaska |
Yes |
– |
Yes |
– |
| Arizona |
Yes |
– |
Yes |
– |
| Arkansas |
– |
– |
– |
– |
| California |
Yes |
– |
Yes |
– |
| Colorado |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
– |
| Connecticut |
Yes |
– |
Yes |
– |
| Delaware |
Yes |
Yes |
– |
– |
| Florida |
Yes |
– |
Yes |
– |
| Georgia |
– |
– |
– |
– |
| Hawaii |
– |
– |
– |
– |
| Idaho |
Yes |
– |
Yes |
– |
| Illinois |
Yes |
Yes |
– |
– |
| Indiana |
Yes |
Yes |
– |
– |
| Iowa |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
– |
| Kansas |
Yes |
– |
Yes |
– |
| Kentucky |
– |
– |
– |
– |
| Louisiana |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Maine |
– |
– |
– |
– |
| Maryland |
Yes |
Yes |
– |
– |
| Massachusetts |
Yes |
Yes |
– |
– |
| Michigan |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
– |
| Minnesota |
Yes |
– |
Yes |
– |
| Mississippi |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
– |
| Missouri |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
– |
| Montana |
Yes |
– |
Yes |
Yes |
| Nebraska |
Yes |
– |
Yes |
Yes |
| Nevada |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
– |
| New Hampshire |
– |
– |
– |
– |
| New Jersey |
Yes |
Yes |
– |
– |
| New Mexico |
Yes |
– |
Yes |
– |
| New York |
Yes |
– |
Yes |
– |
| North Carolina |
Yes |
– |
Yes |
– |
| North Dakota |
Yes |
– |
Yes |
– |
| Ohio |
Yes |
Yes |
– |
– |
| Oklahoma |
Yes |
– |
Yes |
– |
| Oregon |
Yes |
– |
Yes |
Yes |
| Pennsylvania |
Yes |
Yes |
– |
– |
| Rhode Island |
– |
– |
– |
– |
| South Carolina |
– |
– |
– |
– |
| South Dakota |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Tennessee |
– |
– |
– |
– |
| Texas |
Yes |
– |
Yes |
– |
| Utah |
– |
– |
– |
– |
| Vermont |
– |
– |
– |
– |
| Virginia |
– |
– |
– |
– |
| Washington |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
– |
| West Virginia |
Yes |
Yes |
– |
Yes |
| Wisconsin |
Yes |
– |
Yes |
– |
| Wyoming |
Yes |
– |
Yes |
– |
| Washington D.C. |
– |
– |
– |
– |
Slot Machines at Tribal Casinos in the United States
Tribal casinos became a reality when the US government passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act in 1988 as a way to give Native Americans a way to “promote tribal economic development”; (or more realistically, as recompense for stealing their lands throughout the ‘American’ population of the country). These tribal casinos must obtain a license and must confine their gambling establishments to their own lands, but all revenue collected belongs to their own tribal government, not the coffers of the United States or the state in which their reservation is located. Since the IGRA was passed, hundreds of tribal casinos have been erected across 29 states.
Online Slot Machine Laws in the United States
Online gambling was considered to be entirely illegal in the US from 2006, when the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act was passed, right up until the Department of Justice reversed its opinion of the Federal Wire Act in December of 2011. At that point, individual states were given the option to legalize online gambling by authoring their own regulatory guidelines. Online slot machines are still considered illegal in 48 states, some of which have explicit laws outlawing and penalizing the activity. Two states, however, have elected to legalize and regulate online poker and casino gambling. Delaware launched its online slots in October of 2013. New Jersey followed suit in November. Nevada chose to regulate online poker only, and does not support the legalization of online slots or other casino games.
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