Supporters score legal victory over Kentucky gray machines ban

Article by : Charles Perrin Jul 3, 2024

• 
• 

A Kentucky judge has delivered a ruling that has upheld the ban of the controversial gray machines in the state.

Initially found in a range of gas stations, convenience stores, and bars across the state, the slot-like machines that pay out money will now need to be unplugged permanently.

Franklin Court Circuit Judge Phillip Shepherd granted a request from Attorney General Russell Coleman for summary judgment, which meant the case was dismissed at hand, negating the need for a full trial.

The gray machines have been a bone of contention and triggered much debate during this year’s legislative session.

Indeed, there was a mixture of support and opposition expressed when the gray machines were installed at a variety of locations statewide.

Advocates had decried that the games were skill-based, and they had come up with suggestions as to how they should be taxed.

Whereas, critics had feared having gray machines would lead to the biggest expansion of gambling in Kentucky.

Anyway, ARKK Properties, along with other stakeholders, including Pace-O-Matic, which designed the popular Burning Barrel machine mounted a legal challenge, claiming the ban had infringed upon free speech rights.

Nevertheless, Judge Shepherd dismissed the arguments at hand, claiming the gray machines were operating on the fringes of legality, indicating there wasn’t a place for them.

It was House Bill 594 that helped keep the ban in place, and to a certain extent, there has been some closure brought on the matter.

In terms of the next steps, opponents of the ban could lodge an appeal, although nothing has been confirmed yet.

Kentucky has passed other significant gambling legislation in recent years, including having historical racing machines at racing tracks.

Clearly, gambling regulation is taken very seriously in Kentucky, and while the gray machines debate has been a costly one, for now at least, it appears to be dead in the water.