Overview
- Torch Electronics, which the attorney general called Missouri’s largest illegal gambling machine supplier, will power down all games Friday following Wednesday’s announcement.
- A joint criminal investigation by the U.S. Attorneys for Missouri’s Eastern and Western Districts and the state attorney general remains active, with officials vowing to pursue other distributors and retailers.
- A February ruling by U.S. District Judge John Ross found the devices meet Missouri’s definition of gambling machines when used outside licensed casinos, undercutting claims they are legal ‘pre-reveal’ games.
- In a letter to stores, the company said it would shut off or remove terminals and urged retailers to support a video lottery bill that would create a regulated system.
- Lawmakers recently heard there may be 30,000 to 40,000 such machines statewide and that some convenience store operators earned more than $1.5 million in 2025, signaling lost revenue and new legal risk for hosts as the shutdown begins.