TLDR
- Two lawsuits filed in Cole County challenge Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway’s crackdown on “pre-reveal” gaming machines.
- Tuners Bar & Grill argues the machines don’t meet the legal definition of gambling and seeks class-action status.
- The Missouri Licensing Advocacy Group says officials are using liquor license threats to force machine removals before courts rule.
- The lawsuits follow a February federal court ruling against Torch Electronics, which led the company to suspend Missouri operations in April.
- Hanaway says enforcement has cut the number of unregulated machines from about 25,000 to roughly 7,000.
Missouri is now facing legal pushback over its crackdown on gray-market gambling machines. Two separate lawsuits were filed in Cole County this summer.
Both target Attorney General Catherine Hanaway’s enforcement campaign. The businesses say she is overstepping her authority.
The machines in question are called “pre-reveal” or “no-chance” devices. They show players the outcome before they decide whether to play.
Because of this feature, the businesses argue the machines don’t count as gambling under Missouri law. They say state lawmakers have never passed a law banning them.
What the Tuners Lawsuit Claims
The first lawsuit came from Tuners Bar & Grill in St. Charles. It is seeking class-action status on behalf of other businesses running similar machines.
The complaint argues that only state lawmakers can define what counts as illegal gambling. It says the Attorney General cannot create new rules through enforcement alone.
Tuners also claims that facing criminal charges before a clear court ruling could cause lasting harm. This includes arrests, seized equipment, and damaged business relationships.
The lawsuit asks a judge to rule that Missouri’s current gambling laws are too vague as they apply to these machines.
Liquor License Pressure at the Center of Second Case
The second lawsuit came from the Missouri Licensing Advocacy Group, known as MOLAG. It represents liquor suppliers, bars, and convenience stores.
This lawsuit takes a different approach. It argues that officials are using liquor license threats to pressure businesses into removing machines, even without a final court decision.
MOLAG says the state’s alcohol regulator has authority over liquor licenses. It says that authority does not extend to deciding whether gaming machines are legal.
The group also points out that Missouri lawmakers have debated gaming machine laws for years without passing anything. It argues this leaves the issue unresolved.
Both lawsuits were filed within about a week of each other, on June 18 and June 26. Together they represent the first coordinated legal challenge to Hanaway’s campaign.
The dispute traces back to February, when a federal court ruled that Torch Electronics’ machines were illegal gambling devices. After that ruling, Hanaway’s office warned Torch it could face criminal charges if it kept operating in the state.
Torch suspended its Missouri operations in April. Hanaway called the move confirmation that the law was already clear.
She told St. Louis Magazine this month that enforcement has reduced machine numbers from a peak of about 25,000 down to roughly 7,000.
The Missouri fight mirrors similar battles elsewhere. In July 2025, a Tennessee court ruled against Torch’s “No Chance Games” on similar grounds.
More recently, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that Pace-O-Matic’s Pennsylvania Skill machines count as slot machines under that state’s gaming laws. Both lawsuits in Missouri are still pending in Cole County court.
