Illegal gambling machines seized in Licking County
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The Ohio Investigative Unit says it’s a major problem happening all over the state where unlicensed slot machines are not giving customers a fair chance.
PATASKALA, Ohio — At one of the busiest intersections in Pataskala, one local business just got hit with a red light.
Eric Wolf is the enforcement commander with the Ohio Investigative Unit. He says a complaint of illegal gambling was filed against Buster’s Corner Store in Pataskala back in February.
“These were the more traditional like video gambling devices,” he said. “Like a video game.”
He says undercover officers visited the business five times in the next four months. The most recent was last Thursday when Wolf says the establishment had three machines giving out money prizes without a license.
“These locations can be found just about everywhere,” Wolf said.
Wolf says the Ohio Casino Control Commission gives casinos licenses that help to ensure a level playing field with having a chance to win. However, illegal games that pop up around the state, he says, aren’t licensed, which means they aren’t regulated and have no oversight. Wolf says some machines are reprogrammed to make your odds of winning next to nothing.
“You don’t know what you’re getting into,” he said. “The favor is clearly set to the house. The business is there to make money off of these machines.”
Wolf says he knows there’s always a risk with gambling. He believes, though, that many Ohioans don’t realize the slot machines they see in a business might not be the same, fair slot machines they see at a casino.
“That’s where some of our complaints come in,” he said. “That some of these locations that are actually preying on individuals trying to make money off of these other individuals.”
According to Wolf the machines at Buster’s were seized and the business was hit with five administrative violations related to gambling.
An employee inside Buster’s told 10TV’s Bryant Somerville they did not want to make a comment for this story. They did, however, pass along Somerville’s contact information to Buster’s owner.
So far, they have not responded.
Wolf says this continues to be an ongoing investigation and charges could be filed.
The Ohio Investigative Unit has forwarded its report to the Ohio Liquor Control Commission. Wolf says there will be a hearing sometime in the future where a penalty to Buster’s could be handed out.
