KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Miami County in Kansas and Cass County in Missouri. He also covers agricultural topics. Share your story idea with Ryan. Ryan read through the Belton City Council agenda and found out the council would hear the first reading Tuesday to ban no chance gaming manchines. He went to Belton Monday night and found out business owners with the machines did not know about the proposed ordiance.
He went back Tuesday night for the city council meeting.
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 beat reporter Ryan Gamboa heard from business owners and residents on Monday night 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 they are 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 City Manager Joe Warren and Community Development Director Matt 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 to KSHB 41 by the owner and the business deal 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,” said Emmil, a regular at the Paradise Bar and Grill. “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 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 city 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 Belton city spokesperson said "the principal rationale for adopting this new prohibition is to ensure uniform regulation of these machines across the Kansas City Metro area. 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 Monday with a handful of the businesses that offer the ability to play these machines Monday. Only one business told Gamboa they knew the city was considering a ban.
Paradise Bar and Grill Owner Teresa McRoy told KSHB 41 she wishes she would’ve 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 following the meeting they did not know this was taking place until he stopped by their businesses.
Council members asked Wright if businesses were notified, the council would hear the first reading of this prohibition ordinance. Wright said they had not been notified.
“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 of Belton 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 did lack comprehensive information about all the business operating the machines and only guessed there were 12.
The Belton City Council voted unanimously to hear a final reading of the ordinance in two weeks at the next meeting.
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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