Wichita City Council members have given unanimous approval to an ordinance with penalties for certain businesses that are found to have possession of illegal gambling machines. The penalties apply to businesses that have city licenses for tobacco, liquor, cereal malt beverages and entertainment, as well as private club licenses.
Assistant City Attorney Jan Jarman told the Council during its Tuesday meeting that illegal machines have skyrocketed across the city, and in many cases as police remove machines, new ones are brought in. She said the machines target low-income areas, they have no guaranteed payout and no oversight, and they are operating without any of the rules that a casino has.
The penalties would be a written warning on a first offense, a 90-day license suspension on the second offense, and a year-long suspension for a third offense and beyond.
Several business and arcade owners talked to the council about the distinction between games of chance and games of skill, and they urged the council to develop licensing requirements for games of skill. Council member Bryan Frye suggested that more discussion is needed to avoid any unintended consequences, and the council agreed to remove provisions from the ordinance relating to games of skill. Recommendations for those games are expected to be brought back to the Council by October.
