Kansas declares coin pusher redemption games as “illegal gambling devices” while state brings casinos in
(thanks for the tip Dasbacon)
And now for a great “WTH?” moment to start our week off. Arcades such as Dave & Busters and others who operate coin-pushing machines in the US state of Kansas have been forced to remove those machines from their locations as the state recently passed a law declaring such popular games as illegal gambling devices. We don’t follow redemption very often here but when it comes to games that can make tons of money for any arcade location, coin pushers are usually at the top of the list. This is also why such machines generally cost quite a bit to purchase in the first place, as they are guaranteed to make a lot of money. I personally don’t see the appeal behind them but having worked for an arcade in the past where we had several pushers, the earnings were always solid. Of course there are certain redemption games that blur the line between a gambling device and a gaming device, especially in the case of pusher that are more about luck than skill to win tickets. With that in mind I am not aware of other states where pushers are illegal.
So why are they doing this? Kansas is not well known for being an anti-gambling state (that honor actually goes to where I live in Utah and arcades here can have coin-pushers) but when you dig into the story you’ll find that while Kansas is pulling a hard line on pushers, they are opening the door for casinos to move into the state. This means it’s likely that in pandering to what casinos want, which is less of what they perceive as competition from the arcade redemption sector, they targetted these machines specifically as they are the closest to blurring that line. Quite lame really as I am sure that the casinos will be able to make their money hand over fist even if every arcade place there had nothing but pushers on location.
You can read more about it here at kmbc.com
Explore posts in the same categories: Arcade Games, Arcade RedemptionTags: coin pushers, Kansas, redemption, stupid laws
You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.
Arcade Heroes 
April 25, 2010 at 7:04 pm
My guess: the gambling lobby sees some competition from arcades and lobbied to have them put on ‘the list’.
April 25, 2010 at 7:10 pm
That’s exactly my thought as well. I wonder if they will try to push out any other redemption as time goes on, which they certainly would have the power to do. I guess this is one of those things the AAMA needs to be pouncing on to give coin-op some leverage.
April 26, 2010 at 8:19 pm
I tipped Bacon off on this one but I manage an arcade in Kansas City (30 minutes from the D&B) and we fortunately have no coin-pushers, HOWEVER we received word from the state letting us know that they ARE seizing and destroying them.
In addition, the law has been in place for ages but the state has never enforced it, as it was up to local county and city governments to decide on the issue (They give the permits out).
Our Dave and Busters is COMPLETELY empty now. I talked to their amusements manager and they had around $200,000 invested in the pushers which made up nearly 40% of their redemption selection.
April 26, 2010 at 8:50 pm
Wow, seizing and destroying them is ridiculous. The arcades should be allowed to sell them off to everywhere else in the country where they are not illegal. I guess this is a reason why operators need to follow politics to some degree so they know what to watch out for.
I wonder when we’ll see pictures published of the state destroying the machines, reliving the days of when pinball machines were treated in the same manner.
April 26, 2010 at 11:52 pm
We aren’t allow to buy, sell, operate, possess anything related to coin pushers now. Same with Slot Machines. You can’t even have them in your house for personal use.
As for pictures? The state has already issued one – http://www.nbcactionnews.com/media/lib/92/a/3/5/a35aba51-7c90-41d9-99a1-25b00ae75238/Original.jpg
April 28, 2010 at 7:55 pm
Kudos for Kansas, along with Nebraska, Missouri, Texas, Mississippi, I’m sure I have missed some states that treat illegal gambling for what it is, illegal. Check the laws before you act.
March 3, 2014 at 2:17 am
Most laws about gambling are so vague that anything can be included.. Some read like ” a machine that dispenses a prize or a machine that does not dispense a prize” or “a machine that that dispense money or does not dispense money” kinda bologna!
if you read it to the letter in most states gambling statutes then gumball machines, snack machines, arade games etc would all be illegal. They write them so vague so when they want to make the news they can state they are just enforcing the law..
When you ask “why now?” they just say they are so overwhelmed etc. and they are just now getting to it etc.. bunch of malarky and its all about the state MAFIA (aka. state lottery) not wanting competition on their numbers game!
April 10, 2013 at 7:02 am
Quality articles or reviews is the key to
invite the viewers to visit the site, that’s what this website is providing.
June 5, 2013 at 7:34 am
I enjoy reading a post that can make people think. Also, many thanks for allowing
for me to comment!
June 20, 2013 at 4:40 pm
excellent post, very informative. I ponder why the other
specialists of this sector do not realize this. You must
proceed your writing. I am sure, you’ve a huge readers’ base already!
December 13, 2016 at 1:34 am
Another cause is that most of the stores increasing deals usually area a control on the number of
coupons that can be redeemed per-day.
December 13, 2016 at 3:49 am
This can save money in the long run savings.