Last updated: September 16, 2024
Skill-based gaming machines in Kentucky face increasing legal challenges as Attorney General Russell Coleman aligns with lawmakers to combat these devices, deemed illegal under HB 594. Manufacturers’ attempts to label the machines as “risk-free” have not swayed officials, who continue to see them as unregulated gambling.
Skill-based gaming is still under pressure in Kentucky, with local legislators consistently voicing their concern over the industry’s operation and comparing it to gray-area gambling.
Just recently, attempts by manufacturers to meet the demands of state laws have resulted in changing the terminology and referring to gaming machines as ‘risk-free. ‘ This term also poses controversy to officials.
Kentucky’s Attorney General, Russell Coleman, has also joined the fight against these so-called “gray machines. “An official statement released from Coleman’s office said it supports law enforcement and prosecutors in the fight against illegal gambling across the state of Kentucky.
“The law does not allow the possession of gray machines and other games like them in Kentucky, and they are considered as gambling devices,” the statement from Coleman read.
He said that House Bill 594, which outlaws these machines and was passed on the House floor by Killian Timoney and sponsored by House Speaker David Osborne, will be implemented in the letter.
Coleman’s statement restates the government’s vow to enforce the law against what the officials consider unlawful gambling, stating that the clampdown on skill-based gaming will not cease even as the industry evolves ways of circumventing it.
HB 534 has put skill-based gaming machines into law as a prohibited gray area and has made their accessibility to the citizens of Kentucky limited. The current Attorney General, Russell Coleman, has also endorsed the probe into affairs of violations of the state’s gambling laws, which has embraced this category of gaming devices.
Coleman’s statement also specifically mentioned his office’s willingness to provide aid to law enforcement and prosecutors, especially where there is an investigation or prosecution of these illegal “ gray machines” and where such cases encounter legal complexity, such as constitutional questions.
House Bill 594, which was challenged at the Franklin Circuit Court, was sustained by the same court of law, thus affirming the state’s position that skill games are permitted gambling devices under the current laws of Kentucky. The AG’s office will support these endeavors and thus ensure compliance with the way that these machines are addressed.
As Kentucky intensifies its crackdown on skill-based gaming, manufacturers like Prominent Technologies have attempted to rebrand their machines as “risk-free” to comply with state regulations. These companies argue that the new labeling allows players to know in advance whether they will win, positioning the devices as distinct from traditional gambling.
However, this rebranding has done little to appease lawmakers, who continue to view these modified machines as illegal gambling devices.
With approximately 500 such machines currently operating across Kentucky, Attorney General Russell Coleman, his office, and law enforcement remain committed to targeting these devices under the state’s tightened gambling laws.
