KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Miami County in Kansas and Cass County in Missouri. He read through the Belton City Council agenda and found out the council would hear the first reading to ban 'no chance' gaming machines on Tuesday. When Ryan went to Belton Monday night, he found out business owners did not know about the proposed ordinance. Ryan returned and attended the council meeting on Tuesday. Share your story idea with Ryan.
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City Council members in Belton heard the first reading Tuesday of an ordinance to ban "no chance" gaming machines in the city.
KSHB 41 Cass County reporter Ryan Gamboa heard from business owners and residents on Monday ahead of the meeting. The ordinance, if passed, would increase offenses for a violation, including a fine up to $1,000 or jail time up to 180 days.
“I don’t know what they (city) have in mind, but I would consider anything because it’s another source of revenue, which we need,” Paradise Bar and Grill owner Teresa McRoy said about a potential compromise.
About six people associated with operating the machines attended Tuesday night’s meeting to hear the discussion on the new ordinance.
Community Development Director Matt Wright presented the proposal to the council. Wright said the council is following the ordinance passed in October by Kansas City, Missouri.
"The purpose is to prohibit entertainment devices that provide monetary prizes, not to shut down businesses," Wright told the council. "This also ensures uniform regulation across the metro as Kansas City, Missouri, adopted similar regulations in October."
City Manager Joe Warren told the council the Missouri Legislature does not have a legal statute in place to prosecute any violations of illegal gaming machines.
Warren cited an incident in Harrisonville where law enforcement confiscated illegal gaming machines, and there was no statute to prosecute and enforce it.
“Ultimately, these are kind of loophole machines," Warren said. "The state legislature has not acted on these; they have not made them legal. But they also haven't made them illegal. So it's kind of this big gray area."
Residents in attendance were unable to voice their concerns because of processes in the meeting format and not being on the agenda ahead of the meeting.
The Belton City Council went into a discussion with both Warren and Wright. Wright told the council that there can be an increase in crime that comes with the machines.
Ward 3 Council Member Chris Richardson asked about any issues within the city.
Wright and Warren did not have an answer, nor did they provide the council with any concrete evidence of criminal activity.
Richardson referenced KSHB 41’s reporting from Monday night that stated one instance at the Paradise Bar and Grill involving theft. It was only shared with KSHB 41 by the owner, and the business dealt with the security issues.
The presenters did not have any additional evidence to present.
Paradise Bar and Grill regulars like Ryan Emmil feel this is one way to spend their money locally, given they choose to gamble.
“I go up to the casinos in the city often,” Emmil said. “If I sit here and spend $100 drinking and playing, it’s a lot cheaper than going somewhere else… I believe it’s another revenue source for the bar owners to draw people in.”
For Paradise, it’s helped pay the bills as the price to operate a business has only increased.
“There’s a delivery fee on everything now,” McRoy told KSHB 41. “It’s helped tremendously."
It’s a 50-50 contact between the game’s lease holder and the business, according to McRoy.
Ward 3 Council Member Lawson also brought up a question of financial incentives for businesses, inadvertently citing KSHB 41’s reporting from Monday night.
There was no clear indication of the financial incentives for both businesses and the companies that lease the machines presented to the council.
On Monday, the city of Belton did not respond to KSHB 41’s request for comment. A response came early Tuesday afternoon ahead of the council meeting.
Gamboa asked about the driving force behind the ban.
"The principal rationale for adopting this new prohibition is to ensure uniform regulation of these machines across the Kansas City Metro area," a city spokesperson told Gamboa. "In October, the City of Kansas City instituted comparable regulations; lacking statewide oversight of these devices, it was deemed advantageous to align with Kansas City's precedent. This approach allows business owners who operate in both cities to have a consistent understanding of what is permitted and prohibited in their establishments.”
Gamboa spoke with a handful of the businesses that offer the ability to play these machines on Monday. Only one business told Gamboa they knew the city was considering a ban.
McRoy told him she wished she had received a notification letter from the city.
Gamboa contacted McRoy ahead of Tuesday night’s meeting. She said she was unable to attend.
The other "no chance" gaming machine operators told Gamboa they did not know this was taking place until he stopped by their businesses.
Council members asked Wright if businesses were notified, and he replied they had not.
“Businesses were not directly notified by the city, except for the Sunshine Law-mandated notice. This was partly because the city lacked comprehensive information about all businesses operating such machines, as illustrated by the example of Paradise Bar & Grill,” a city spokesperson told Gamboa in an email. “Looking ahead, if the City Council approves the proposed regulations, City staff will ensure that each known business receives a clear letter before the regulations take effect on January 1. This will help guarantee that all affected businesses are adequately informed about the changes.”
The city lacked comprehensive information about all the businesses operating the machines and only guessed there were 12.
The Belton City Council voted 4-1 to hear a final reading of the ordinance in two weeks at the next meeting, Belton City Council member Chris Richardson voted against.
One person in attendance who is in favor of keeping the gaming machines told Gamboa, “The city is trying to blindside us.”
The group went on to add they have had no issues with crime operating a business offering the machines to customers.
An attorney representing the gaming company was in attendance and told KSHB 41 he would be reaching out to speak at the next meeting.
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