Crackdown on illegal gaming after police say over 260 machines confiscated during 'Operation Casino Royale'

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Memphis Police are cracking down on gaming machines in gas stations and cornerstores.

But if you look at those machines, what's written on them makes them seem completely legal.

“Slot machines are illegal by our state constitution,” said James Whelan, the executive director of Tennessee Institute for Gambling Education & Research (TIGER).

Tennessee law bans "Games of Chance" that includes slot machines.

But the message on the machine spotted in a Memphis convenience store called it a "No Chance" game.

The vendor Torch Electronics believes the gaming machine does not meet Tennessee’s definition of gambling.

FOX13 asked the Shelby County District Attorney’s Office if Torch Electronics is correct:

“Games of chance are illegal, but it is a somewhat complicated legal question. It basically hinges on what is a game of chance and what is not. Some machines have settings designed to fit under the statute as a non-chance game. If the settings violate the statute, our office can pursue legal recourse."

The proper settings are when the player can get a preview of subsequent rounds, thus knowing in advance whether they’ll win. If they want, they can abort and get their money returned, arguably taking the "chance" out of it.

The last letter we sent to a machine vendor indicated that ‘as they are currently configured, we do not think they are legal and should be removed.’ One vendor has asked us to reconsider the decision. We expect a decision on that soon. Unless, until we reverse our position, our current position is as stated above.”

Whelan is also a professor at the University of Memphis and an expert in problem gambling. He said illegal machines increased the odds of criminal behavior.

“There is the possibility of an increase of people being victimized," Whelan said. "The reason is that people who may potentially win money is easily identified and accessible."

As of Monday, Memphis Police confiscated over 260 gambling machines, over $1 million dollars in cash and various guns and drugs since July of last year.

This is all part of "Operation Casino Royale" led by Memphis Police and the DA’s office.

“We got enough crime as it is. We don’t need no extra,” a Memphis resident said.

Now the DA’s office said a gaming vendor asked them to reconsider their decision that the "No Chance" games are illegal.

Throughout "Operation Casino Royale," 65 investigators have taken place resulting in two arrests, 53 misdemeanors and 12 city ordinances, according to MPD.

We're told a decision will be made soon but for now, they are considered illegal.