Wichita City Council members have given unanimous approval to an ordinance with penalties for certain businesses that are found to have possession of illegal gambling machines. The penalties apply to businesses that have city licenses for tobacco, liquor, cereal malt beverages and entertainment, as well as private club licenses.
Assistant City Attorney Jan Jarman told the Council during its Tuesday meeting that illegal machines have skyrocketed across the city, and in many cases as police remove machines, new ones are brought in. She said the machines target low-income areas, they have no guaranteed payout and no oversight, and they are operating without any of the rules that a casino has.
