IN THE COUNTY LEGISLATURE OF JACKSON COUNTY, MISSOURI
Title
AN ORDINANCE repealing section 5542., of Jackson County Code, 1984, related to the use of unlicensed gambling devices and enacting in lieu thereof one new section with a with severability clause.
Intro
ORDINANCE NO. 6007, August 4, 2025
INTRODUCED BY Manuel Abarca IV, Donna Peyton, and Venessa Huskey, County Legislators
Body
WHEREAS, Jackson County finds that unregulated Entertainment Devices offering Monetary Prizes, including devices that constitute illegal gambling under Missouri law, are proliferating within the County; and
WHEREAS, the County further finds that Unlicensed Gambling Devices and illegal Games of Chance can result in detrimental impacts to the neighborhoods in which they are located, including increased crime, nuisance activity, and negative secondary effects on surrounding residents and businesses; and
WHEREAS, the County also finds that Unlicensed Gambling Devices can result in detrimental impacts to players, including financial hardships and increased reliance on public assistance; and
WHEREAS, the Legislature recognizes that not all electronic gaming devices operate as Games of Chance and that certain devices operate using predetermined, fully disclosed outcomes or through the application of skill of the user that do not involve chance as defined by Missouri law; and
WHEREAS, nothing in this Ordinance is intended to legalize or authorize any gambling device or gambling activity prohibited by Missouri law, and any device that meets the definition of a gambling device under state law remains unlawful except as expressly authorized by state statute; and
WHEREAS, the absence of a clear regulatory framework distinguishing illegal gambling devices from lawful, predetermined entertainment devices and skill devices creates uncertainty for legitimate businesses, complicates enforcement efforts, and may lead to inconsistent application of nuisance and criminal laws across jurisd...
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