Is owning slot machines legal in your state?

[4 Deuces]

Boy I've really learned a lot over the last year on NLG and I thank every single person who has helped me.

My latest education?  Determining the legality of the slot room.

After watching that "Mastermind" video, there was a spoken line that said that in Nevada, you can own up to two slot machines.  I'm reading through the Nevada Revised Statutes (NRS) now to see if that's true.  What I've read so far is somewhat confusing.

So, just as I've learned from you and tried to pass along what I've learned to others, I wanted to pass along this: I would encourage all of you who don't know your local laws to take the time to read them.  Ignorance of the law is not a defense and you may be surprised.  I would check all the facts, including potential replies to this thread.

Wish me luck in interpreting all this NRS legal mumbo jumbo!

:Dave

[4 Deuces]

Okay, so according to NRS 463.160.4, the number of slot machines that a person may have is not explicitly two, but rather ... (see #4)

http://www.leg.state.nv.us/NRS/NRS-463.html#NRS463Sec160

   NRS 463.160  Licenses required; unlawful to permit certain gaming activities to be conducted without license; exceptions.
      1.  Except as otherwise provided in subsection 4 and NRS 463.172, it is unlawful for any person, either as owner, lessee or employee, whether for hire or not, either solely or in conjunction with others:
      (a) To deal, operate, carry on, conduct, maintain or expose for play in the State of Nevada any gambling game, gaming device, inter-casino linked system, mobile gaming system, slot machine, race book or sports pool;
      (b) To provide or maintain any information service;
      (c) To operate a gaming salon;
      (d) To receive, directly or indirectly, any compensation or reward or any percentage or share of the money or property played, for keeping, running or carrying on any gambling game, slot machine, gaming device, mobile gaming system, race book or sports pool;
      (e) To operate as a cash access and wagering instrument service provider; or
      (f) To operate, carry on, conduct, maintain or expose for play in or from the State of Nevada any interactive gaming system,
Ê without having first procured, and thereafter maintaining in effect, all federal, state, county and municipal gaming licenses as required by statute, regulation or ordinance or by the governing board of any unincorporated town.
      2.  The licensure of an operator of an inter-casino linked system is not required if:
      (a) A gaming licensee is operating an inter-casino linked system on the premises of an affiliated licensee; or
      (b) An operator of a slot machine route is operating an inter-casino linked system consisting of slot machines only.
      3.  Except as otherwise provided in subsection 4, it is unlawful for any person knowingly to permit any gambling game, slot machine, gaming device, inter-casino linked system, mobile gaming system, race book or sports pool to be conducted, operated, dealt or carried on in any house or building or other premises owned by the person, in whole or in part, by a person who is not licensed pursuant to this chapter, or that person’s employee.
      4.  The Commission may, by regulation, authorize a person to own or lease gaming devices for the limited purpose of display or use in the person’s private residence without procuring a state gaming license.
      5.  As used in this section, “affiliated licenseeâ€� has the meaning ascribed to it in NRS 463.430.
      [16:429:1955]—(NRS A 1959, 437; 1961, 662; 1965, 1032; 1967, 1029, 1591; 1969, 372; 1971, 229; 1975, 675; 1977, 1423; 1979, 775, 1014, 1523; 1981, 1078; 1983, 140; 1985, 2137; 1989, 708, 969; 1995, 758; 1997, 117, 1118, 3500; 2001, 897; 2003, 1170; 2005, 717; 2011, 207, 1669)

[uniman]

I see nowhere that ownership is limited to two machines here in Nevada. I have heard that a private residence is allowed to sell up to two machines per year, but cannot find that either.
What I do know is that I bought a machine from a casino here in Nevada. They took my drivers license and filled out a form that was sent to the Nevada Gaming Commission who did a background check on me to make sure I wasn't a convicted felon or on their black list or whatever! It took a week before I could take possesion of my machine.

[4 Deuces]

Crazy, isn't it?  You're right though ...  it's limited to only selling two a year, not owning two.  That's for private ownership.  Obviously, licensed establishments can sell much more.  Bottom line though is that the TV program had it wrong.  When you do sell, you're supposed to fill out the form that you're referring to, which is here ...

http://gaming.nv.gov/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=2304

It may be worth adding a Forum topic just for each state laws if people want to take the time to research and post links?

At least I found my answer and I'm legal.   

[Joeylc]

you can only sell 2 games a year in Nevada with out a Nevada gaming licence...   but you can Owen as Manny as you want .........

[uniman]

Thanks for the link Dave!

[cowboygames]

It's all fun and games till someone brings the law into it...

[knagl]

Okay, so according to NRS 463.160.4, the number of slot machines that a person may have is not explicitly two, but rather ... (see #4)

...

4.  The Commission may, by regulation, authorize a person to own or lease gaming devices for the limited purpose of display or use in the person’s private residence without procuring a state gaming license.

Well, that says that they may allow it by creating a regulation, but it doesn't in itself permit home ownership. I did some more digging and came up with this:

NRS 14.330 subsection 3 spells out home ownership of machines for Nevada. In a nutshell, you can own machines (with no listed limit on quantity) so long as you don't permit actual gambling on them. Page 20 of this .PDF: http://gaming.nv.gov/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=2921

[brichter]

Okay, so according to NRS 463.160.4, the number of slot machines that a person may have is not explicitly two, but rather ... (see #4)

...

4.  The Commission may, by regulation, authorize a person to own or lease gaming devices for the limited purpose of display or use in the person’s private residence without procuring a state gaming license.

Well, that says that they may allow it by creating a regulation, but it doesn't in itself permit home ownership. I did some more digging and came up with this:

NRS 14.330 subsection 3 spells out home ownership of machines for Nevada. In a nutshell, you can own machines (with no listed limit on quantity) so long as you don't permit actual gambling on them. Page 20 of this .PDF: http://gaming.nv.gov/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=2921

WHAT?????!!! PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY???!!! WHAT IS THIS STRANGE PHILOSOPHY?????!!!



Can you tell I'm not in Nevada?  

[emt232004]

These laws seem unjust, tell me why someone living on the border of one state can own any machine yet the person in the next state 10 miles away can only own machines 25 years and older. What is the point of that?

[jdkmunch]

It's the same with all laws

I think now it is legal for pot in one state and not in another. 

[brichter]

These laws seem unjust, tell me why someone living on the border of one state can own any machine yet the person in the next state 10 miles away can only own machines 25 years and older. What is the point of that?

Because it is up to each state to determine what laws are needed. For instance, in Nevada they have decided that they only need laws to fix problems, in Kommiefornia they have decided that they need laws to control every aspect of every person's life and family, and the more the government and law enforcement can intrude into your life, the better they can control you. Several other states, like Mass., come to mind when I think of legislators with this viewpoint. They simply think that people are not smart enough to live without government control of everything, despite the fact that there are thousands of years of history proving this is not the case.