Ban on “gray” gaming machines passed by state House

The full House passed a bill Wednesday banning unregulated gaming machines that have been popping up across the state.

The machines are similar to slot machines that have been showing up in gas stations and bars in Kentucky over the last two years. There are now well over 10,000 “gray machines” in Kentucky.

House Bill 594, sponsored by Rep. Killian Timoney, would ban gray machines and make them illegal in Kentucky while also implementing a $25,000 fine for those operating the machines that would be paid to the county they were operated in.

There are three forms of legal gaming in Kentucky, and these machines fall outside of the three regulated categories of the Kentucky lottery, charitable gaming, and parimutuel wagering on horse racing. No taxes are being collected on the machines, and there is currently no regulation in place.

The legislation came back up on Wednesday after a motion to table HB 594 was passed Friday last week. House Speaker David Osborne made the motion to take the bill from the clerk’s desk and moved for passage.

It passed with a floor amendment that deals with e-sports and ensures the term is clearly defined to not include casino games, as well as a committee amendment that was added when it passed through the House Licensing and Occupations Committee last week.

House Bill 594 passed the House with a 64-32 vote and now moves to the Senate for consideration in committee.

Watch an interview with Rep. Timoney on gray machines on The Bottom Line here.

Stay tuned for more updates on this bill.