Gambling Machines

Multi game machines are the best buy if space is an issue. Multi game keno machines are also available. Casino Slot Machines Williams Bluebird 2. Williams Bluebird 2 are the best machines available to the.

The Marion County Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to prohibit the use of simulated gambling devices for commercial purposes.

A slot machine (American English), known variously as a fruit machine (British English), puggy (Scottish English), the slots (Canadian English and American English), poker machine/pokies (Australian English and New Zealand English), fruities (British English) or slots (American English), is a gambling machine that creates a game of chance for its customers.
The Monthly Video Gaming Reports and the corresponding Comma Separated Values (CSV) File agree to Illinois Gaming Board data. The CSV file can be downloaded into other file types and managed for the ease of the user, however, the Illinois Gaming Board is not accountable for the reliability of disseminated information resulting from changes to the Illinois Gaming.

The county sheriff’s office recommended the action because of what it said was an increase in violent crimes because of simulated gambling devices at internet cafés.

According to the ordinance, simulated gambling devices include any computer-operated games – particularly slot machines – that may deliver the person playing a payoff.

Internet cafés are considered hotspots for crime because of practices like keeping cash on hand and lacking properly trained security, Sgt. Paul Bloom, the public information officer for the sheriff’s office, told WUFT News.

Bloom said four robberies had occurred at the cafés within the last month. The most recent one involved a gunman pointing a firearm at a pregnant clerk and her 9-year-old child, he said.

“The crimes are escalating at internet cafés,” Bloom said. “Eventually, robbery escalates into homicide.”

The ordinance won’t shut down the internet cafés all together. However, any store manager or employee risks being issued a $250 fine per device in operation.

Any employee operating five or more devices could also face arrest, said Tim McCourt, the sheriff’s office’s general counsel, who prepared a draft ordinance for the commission.

“The employee who would be there, if they have 40 devices, could be issued 40 civil citations,” McCourt told the commission Tuesday. “They would also be committing 40 second-degree misdemeanors for which they could go to jail.”

The sheriff’s office district commanders will deliver notices Wednesday to about 40 internet cafés countywide, warning them about the new penalties, McCourt said.

The commission had discussed the ordinance at its last meeting, Jan. 19, but agreed to table the matter for two weeks to consider revisions suggested by Kelly Mathis, an attorney representing a coalition of game room owners. Mathis had argued for more regulation instead of prohibition.

Mathis compared the gambling devices to adult video games, and said removing them would drive internet cafés out of business. He urged the commission to insist that the troubled cafés improve their security systems instead of harming all such stores.

“The reason people go to these game rooms are the video games for adults,” Mathis said. “Saying you’re not closing the business is like telling a pizza restaurant, ‘You can stay in business, but you can’t sell pizzas.’”

It wasn’t the first time Mathis had failed to keep a city or county from impacting internet cafés.

In 2019, Jacksonville enacted similar ordinances prohibiting simulated gambling devices that Mathis challenged as unconstitutional. A federal judge of the Middle District Court of Florida found that the ordinances did not violate the U.S. Constitution.

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office also complained about a lack of cooperation between law enforcement and the management at internet cafés when a crime happens. McCourt said it’s routine for store owners to deny security footage upon request or simply not report a crime.

“It’s sad to say – that in the face of an armed robbery where someone has a firearm pointed at them and a small child – that law enforcement would be met with anything other than complete cooperation,” he said.

McCourt also argued that no state regulation exists covering the fairness of simulated gambling devices. These machines can deceive many county residents, according to the ordinance. And despite fiscal regulations, he said, many internet cafés don’t comply with income tax laws.

Twenty-three people spoke against the ordinance during the public hearing.

Sherri Matherly of Dunnellon said she’s visited internet cafés for years. She said not only do they uphold COVID-19 regulations, they are also “very considerate of us as older people.”

“They’re a safe place and a good place for us … to fellowship,” Matherly said. “This is a place that we can go and sit down and have good entertainment.”

Since coming to Marion County six years ago, Stacey Castaneda said working at internet cafés has allowed her to care for her five children as a single mother. After getting denied from 32 job applications, she said it’s become her only source of income.

“The jobs that I’ve went to, they look at me because I’m Hispanic,” Castaneda said. “I have a high school diploma. I have a college degree. Why can’t I get a good job?”

Sam Ali, who owns The Grand Arcade in Belleview, came prepared with paperwork to show that he pays business taxes. He said internet cafés that don’t abide by tax laws should be regulated.

“I do my business by the book,” Ali said. “My landlord is happy. My neighbors are happy.”

Only one person from the public spoke in support of the ordinance.

Roger Knechtel said he’s against all types of gambling. After witnessing others squander their hard-earned money on bets, he said there’s too many people that can’t afford to gamble.

“Gambling is a disease. We’ve cured HIV; Hepatitis A, B and C; we’re working on cancer,” Knechtel said. “But gambling and politicians: There’s no disease cure for them.”

County Commissioner Kathy Bryant made a motion to adopt the ordinance, saying the real issue for her was public safety more so than just regulating gambling.

“To think that someone held a gun to a 9-year-old child’s head: That’s unconscionable,” Bryant said. “My fear is that it’s just a matter of time before something serious happens, and then had this commission not taken action, it would fall upon us.”

Introduction to Wisconsin Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2020

Wisconsin slot machine casino gambling consists of 24 tribal casinos. Illegal video gambling machines exist in bars and taverns throughout Wisconsin.

Tribal-state gaming compacts have minimum and maximum theoretical payout limits. Annual return statistics are publicly available for all tribal casinos.

This post continues my weekly State-By-State Slot Machine Casino Gambling Series, an online resource dedicated to guiding slot machine casino gambler to success. Now in its third year, each weekly post reviews slots gambling in a single U.S. state, territory, or federal district.

Keep Reading … or Watch Instead!

Or … Listen Instead!

Find my podcast wherever you listen to audio!

Relevant Legal Statutes on Gambling in Wisconsin*

The minimum legal gambling age in Wisconsin depends upon the gambling activity:

Land-Based Casinos: 21
Poker Rooms: 18
Bingo: 18
Lottery: 18
Pari-Mutuel Wagering: 18

Tribal casinos in Wisconsin have negotiated tribal-state gaming compacts. However, each city or county must agree to both the development of a local tribal casino as well as the games offered at its site.

Further, many bars and taverns in Wisconsin have illegal video gaming machines. Having up to five machines results in civil forfeiture without legal repercussion while more than five machines are, instead, a criminal offense.

Anyone playing pay-to-play, bar-based slot machines must be at least 21. Otherwise, owners break a different law, this one having severe legal consequences for their business.

Electronic gaming machines in bars and taverns which are free to play with no prizes of any value are not illegal under Wisconsin’s gaming regulations.

*The purpose of this section is to inform the public of state gambling laws and how the laws might apply to various forms of gaming. It is not legal advice.

Slot Machine Private Ownership in Wisconsin

It is legal to own a slot machine privately in Wisconsin if it is 25 years old or older.

Gaming Control Board in Wisconsin

Wisconsin’s Gaming Division has gaming regulatory responsibilities including:

Licensing procedures
Background investigations
Regulatory enforcement activities

The Division’s area of focus for tribal gaming is the Office of Indian Gaming and Regulatory Compliance created by tribal-state gaming compacts. The Office’s purpose is to ensure regulation of Class III games at casinos operated by Wisconsin’s eleven tribes.

Casinos in Wisconsin

There are 24 American Indian tribal casinos in Wisconsin.

The largest casino in Wisconsin is Potawatomi Hotel & Casino with over 2,500 slot machines.

The second-largest casino is Ho-Chunk Gaming Wisconsin Dells with 2,200 slot machines.

Commercial Casinos in Wisconsin

There are no commercial casinos in Wisconsin.

Tribal Casinos in Wisconsin

There are 24 tribal casinos in Wisconsin:

Bad River Lodge Casino in Odanah, 45 miles east of Duluth.
Grindstone Creek Casino in Hayward, 140 miles northeast of Minneapolis.
Ho-Chunk Gaming Black River Falls, 110 miles northwest of Madison.
Ho-Chunk Gaming Nekoosa, 50 miles north of Wausau.
Ho-Chunk Gaming Tomah, 81 miles north of Madison.
Ho-Chunk Gaming Wisconsin Dells in Baraboo, 40 miles northwest of Madison.
Ho-Chunk Gaming Wittenberg, 30 miles east of Wausau.
Lake of the Torches Resort Casino in Lac du Flambeau, 225 miles north of Green Bay.
Legendary Waters Resort & Casino in Red Cliff, 80 miles east of Duluth, Minnesota.
Menominee Casino Resort in Keshena, 40 miles northwest of Green Bay.
Mole Lake Casino & Lodge in Mole Lake, 100 miles northwest of Green Bay.
North Star Mohican Casino Resort in Bowler, 55 miles northwest of Green Bay.
Oneida Casino – Irene Moore Activity Center (IMAC) in Green Bay.
Oneida Casino – Main-Airport in Green Bay.
Oneida Casino – One-Stop Packerland in Green Bay.
Oneida Casino – Travel Center in Pulaski, 12 northwest of Green Bay.
Oneida Casino – W. Mason in Green Bay.
Potawatomi Hotel & Casino in Milwaukee
Potawatomi Carter Casino Hotel in Wabeno, 85 miles north of Green Bay.
Sevenwinds Casino, Lodge & Convention Center in Hayward, 75 miles southeast of Duluth, Minnesota.
St. Croix Casino – Danbury, 62 miles south of Duluth near the border to Minnesota
St. Croix Casino – Hertel in Webster, 83 miles south of Duluth near the border to Minnesota.
St. Croix Casino – Turtle Lake, 76 miles northeast of Minneapolis near the border to Minnesota.

Other Gambling Establishments

As an alternative to enjoying Wisconsin slot machine casino gambling, consider exploring casino options in a nearby state. Bordering Wisconsin is:

North: Michigan Slots
East: Lake Michigan
South: Illinois Slots
West: Iowa Slots and Minnesota Slots

Each of the links above will take you to my blog for that neighboring U.S. state to Wisconsin.

Our Wisconsin Slots Facebook Group

Are you interested in sharing and learning with other slots enthusiasts in Wisconsin? If so, join our Wisconsin slots community on Facebook. All you’ll need is a Facebook profile to join this closed Facebook Group freely.

There, you’ll be able to privately share your slots experiences as well as chat with players about slots gambling in Wisconsin. Join us!

Payout Returns in Wisconsin

Written into Wisconsin’s tribal-state gaming compacts are minimum and maximum theoretical payout limits. These limits apply over the expected lifetime of the game.

Each tribal-state compact has set minimum and maximum payout limits. However, there are two sets of limits, both of which apply over the expected lifetime of the game:

Games-of-chance (slot machines): 80% and 100%
Games-of-skill video games (poker, blackjack, etc.): 83% and 103%

For each machine, tribal casinos report to the state both its theoretical payout and actual return statistics. However, this valuable information is not available to the public.

An annual return statistic is publicly available for all tribal casinos combined in Wisconsin, although casino hold% comes from dividing Tribal Net Win by Handle Data. Player win% is from subtracting hold% from 100%.

In 2019, the most recent year available, the annual return statistic was 92.76%. This player win% is up from 2017’s 92.48% and 2018’s 92.61%.

Summary of Wisconsin Slot Machine Casino Gambling in 2020

Wisconsin slot machine casino gambling consists of 24 tribal casinos. Illegal gaming machines exist at many bars and taverns, but only five or more machines results in a criminal offense.

Tribal-state gaming compacts have established two sets of theoretical payout limits, including minimum and maximums. For games-of-chance such as slot machines, these limits are 80% and 100%. The 2019 return statistic was 92.76%.