St. Louis County to Seek Funds, Send Inspectors After Judge Rules Small Gambling Machines Illegal

Doctor Page, a St. Louis County official identified by name in the briefing, said the county has sent 400 letters to liquor-license holders informing them that the devices referred to in the transcript as "BLTs" (also noted at times as "DLTs") are illegal and "cannot be in the presence of a business that has a liquor license." She said the county will ask the St. Louis County Council for funding to create two Department of Revenue inspector positions to enforce liquor-license rules and investigate complaints.

The announcement follows a recent federal-court ruling that, according to Doctor Page, found these machines to be illegal gambling devices when played outside Missouri casinos. Doctor Page said she signed an executive order directing the county Department of Revenue to notify liquor-license holders about the ruling and that the county's liquor-license application has been updated so applicants for new or renewed licenses must attest they have no illegal gambling devices on the premises.

Doctor Page said 400 letters have been mailed to county-registered liquor-license applicants; she cautioned the total number of affected businesses is uncertain because some license holders have multiple locations and incorporated areas of St. Louis County use different licensing. She said 400 businesses are registered with St. Louis County, that the affected total could exceed 1,000 when counting multiple locations, and that she did not have a precise consolidated count for the broader incorporated county (she referenced a separate figure "closer to 2,000").

On enforcement, Doctor Page stated the county does not have jurisdiction to seize or otherwise police gambling devices. "Will they go in and confiscate these machines?" a questioner asked; Doctor Page replied, "No." Her office will instead use licensing authority: the county's ordinance bars renewal or issuance of a liquor license when illegal gambling occurs on the premises, and violators risk suspension or revocation of their license. The official said while the county awaits Council approval for two new inspectors, it will borrow code enforcement inspectors from the Department of Public Works and other departments to conduct checks and encourage voluntary compliance through letters and email.

When pressed on cost, Doctor Page said the two new inspector positions would cost "a little over $200,000," covering salaries and benefits; she said she would confirm exact figures in the funding request materials. She also described broader staffing and budget constraints affecting the Department of Revenue, including past cuts that eliminated dedicated liquor-license inspectors and recent reductions in operating hours to manage workloads.

Doctor Page cited additional enforcement activity by state officials: she said the Missouri attorney general's office is cooperating with federal agencies including the FBI and IRS and that the attorney general will support local prosecutors enforcing gambling laws related to these machines. She reiterated that county action focuses on liquor-license compliance in unincorporated St. Louis County, while the attorney general and prosecutors pursue criminal or civil enforcement statewide.

The county's immediate steps, as described by Doctor Page, are: send outreach letters and emails to encourage voluntary compliance, request funding from the St. Louis County Council for two permanent Department of Revenue inspector positions (costs estimated at just over $200,000), and use borrowed inspectors to begin on-the-ground checks if complaints persist. No formal vote or Council action had occurred during the briefing; the funding request will be presented to the Council for consideration.

Questions at the briefing underscored uncertainty about the exact number of affected businesses and whether any operators had already removed machines; Doctor Page said the county had received complaints but did not confirm any systematic removals.

Next steps: the funding request will be presented to the St. Louis County Council later this week; the county has already mailed 400 letters and updated applications requiring attestations against illegal gambling devices.