Missouri’s acting Attorney General Catherine Hanaway has launched a legal crackdown on five retailers accused of operating illegal gambling machines. The businesses face allegations of violating state gambling laws, including the use of prohibited Video Lottery Terminals (VLTs) and fishing table games, activities critics say could draw organized crime.
The aggressive legal action follows charges against five Dunklin County businesses — Discount Spirits and Tobacco, Dixie Package, Kennett Liquor and Tobacco, Laura's Mini Mart, and Swindle’s Quick Shop — accused of prioritizing profit over the law by allowing unregulated gambling on their premises. According to the petitions, customers would insert cash into the illegal machines, play the games, and redeem tickets for cash at the same shops, a process that mimics legal gambling but lacks oversight and consumer protections, according to the Missouri Attorney General’s office.
To combat the harmful effects of illegal gambling in Missouri, the Attorney General’s Office is pursuing civil penalties and seeking a permanent injunction to bar these businesses from engaging in unauthorized gambling, citing the risk such operations pose to local communities.
Alongside the civil actions by the Attorney General’s Office, Dunklin County Prosecuting Attorney Nicholas Jain has pursued criminal charges against the operators of the illegal gambling machines. Following an investigation by the Missouri State Highway Patrol Division of Drug and Crime Control, Jain is pressing felony charges to hold the operators accountable and reinforce the joint effort with the Attorney General’s Office.
The crackdown on unlicensed gambling in Missouri involves a coordinated effort by local, state, and federal officials, with Attorney General Hanaway leading the push to shut down illegal operations. Full details of the petitions filed against each accused retail shop are available on the Attorney General’s official website.
