You can find as many objects to collect as you can find collectors, but some of the most interesting collectibles are slot machines. You can buy them used, but the legality of owning a gambling machine varies from state to state. This page takes a look at some of the issues involved in buying a used slot machine to start or expand a collection of your own.
Where Do You Live?
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The first thing you should understand is that no matter where you live, if you’re using a slot machine to offer gambling to other people, you need a license. In some states, gambling is completely prohibited. Chances are you’re an individual collector and don’t have a gambling license, so don’t let people gamble on your games unless you have a high risk tolerance for illegal behavior.
In some states, even collectors aren’t allowed to own a used slot machine. These states include Alabama, Connecticut, Hawaii, Indiana, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Wisconsin. Ownership of slot machines, used or otherwise, is illegal in those states.
Other states have no legal restrictions on slot machine ownership as long as you’re not using them to run a gambling business. These states include: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia.
The other states have specific guidelines based on the age of the machine. For example, in California, Delaware, Illinois, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, and Wyoming, it’s legal to own a slot machine as long as it’s at least 25 years old. Other states have higher or lower age limits—in Florida you can own a slot machine as long as it’s 20 years or older, but in Massachusetts, it has to be at least 30 years old. And still other states base it on what year the machine was built; in Illinois and Iowa, for example, it’s only legal to own slot machines that were constructed before 1950.
To the best of my knowledge, this information is complete and accurate, but before buying your own used coin-op slot machine, you should check with local legal authorities to make sure you have the most up to date information. You should always obey the laws in whatever jurisdiction you reside.
What Kind of Dealer Are You Dealing With?
You’ll find plenty of people selling used slot machines on the Internet. Many of these are third-party sellers. That means they don’t offer slot machines directly; instead, they just take your order and then buy the slot machine from someone else and have it shipped to you. You’ll often notice that these third party dealers use stock images or pictures that were stolen from direct dealers’ websites.
It’s better to deal with a direct dealer when you can. These dealers will often offer a warranty on the machines they sell. They’ll also be able to help you over the phone if you’re having a problem operating your game. Third party dealers aren’t able to offer you this level of service.
One way to be sure you’re dealing with an actual dealer instead of a third party is to ask them if you’re able to visit their showroom or warehouse. Third party dealers, for obvious reasons, don’t have showrooms or warehouses.
What Kinds of Used Slot Machines CAN I Buy?
Most dealers offer reconditioned machines that have been retired from use in Las Vegas style casinos. Many of these are the same IGT (International Game Technology) manufactured games that you’re used to seeing in the casino, only older and more primitive. Most dealers also provide replacement parts and repair services.
One thing to look for when considering buying a machine from a dealer is whether or not they use real glass or plexiglass. Real glass is superior as plexiglass fades over time. You can expect to pay a little more for a machine with real glass, but it’s worth the extra cost. If you’ve ever seen a faded plexiglass screen on a used slot machine, you’ll know what I mean.
Many of these games can be set up to enjoy on “free play” mode. You don’t have to insert any kind of money in order to play these games. You can even modify these games to pay out tickets.
Examples of some of the popular and well-known games available for sale on the Internet include titles like Cleopatra, Double Diamond, Munsters, Red, White, and Blue, Sizzling Senves, Tabasca, Texas Tea, and Wild Cherry slots. Many other titles are available besides these, but you’ll recognize a lot of these brand names as still being available (albeit in newer models) in casinos today.
How Much Should I Spend?
Used slot machines are collectibles, and they’re priced accordingly. Shipping is usually going to be expensive, too. You can probably expect to pay at least $600 for a good machine and $200 for shipping. Video slots will cost twice that or more, and you’ll sometimes have the option of upgrading to a new LCD monitor when buying a video slot machine. Those are expensive, too–$400 or $500.
Other upgrades you can pay for include stereo sound packages, coin in coin out functionality, and/or backlit reels (on mechanical or electro-mechanical machines). These upgrades generally cost between $100 and $200 each.
Of course, these prices apply to relatively newer slot machines. Older antique slot machines can cost more or less. I’ve seen slot machines from the 1930s and 1940s that were beautifully refurbished for sale for as little as $325. Some of these older machines are barely recognizable as slot machines, but they make beautiful, conversation-worthy collections.
Conclusion
Buying a used slot machine can be a fun way to start a new hobby of collecting gaming machines, but do some research first. You want to make sure that it’s legal to do so before you get started. You also need to do some research into dealers before spending any money. Avoid third-party dealers, and find a direct dealer with a warehouse who offers warranties and telephone customer support.
Buying a used slot machine in the United States is a lot more complicated than you might think. Not only do you have to locate the gaming machine, but you have to pay for expensive shipping costs. Also, you’ll need to know whether it is illegal or not to own a slot machine in your state. The last thing you need is to have local and state law enforcement show up to confiscate your gaming machine and assess a stiff fine–or worse, threaten a jail sentence.
Where to Buy Gaming Machines Online
All Slot Machines At Casinos
Finding a used slot machine vendor online is the easy part. With a minimal amount of research, gaming memorabilia collectors can find countless Internet vendors: a small list includes Slot Machines Unlimited, Slot Machines USA, Old Time Slots, LA Slot Machines Co., Bright’s Antique Slot Machines, San Diego Antique Slot Machines, and Wee Chin Electric Machinery Inc.
EBay Vintage Slot Machines
Those who don’t want to shop at outlets they are not familiar with can try the biggest online markets. While Amazon does not seem to have many casino slot machines for sale, EBay is a gold mine for such transactions.
EBay’s list of used slot machines includes categories like Antique, Bally, Glass, IGT, Jennings, Video, and Vintage. The Antique Coin Slot Machines page contains everything from spare parts for $6 to full antique machines ranging into the thousands of dollars. The Vintage Slot Machines listings include a lot of knick-knack items from the first half of the 20th century. Make sure you understand the size of these items you buy because many tiny replica machines are on sale online. If a machine costs $10, make sure it isn’t a toy.
Gaming Laws
Besides price and availability of gaming machines, potential buyers should not overlook the gaming laws of their home state. Outside of the 1961 Wire Act, the 1992 PASPA law, and the 2006 UIGEA law, the U.S. federal government allows states to decide most gambling laws. Slot machine collectors do not need to be concerned about national laws against gaming machine ownership, but they do need to be cognizant of state and local gaming laws. Largely, the state gaming laws matter.
For that reason, most of this article focuses on state laws regarding slot machine ownership. All 50 States and the District of Columbia have their own laws on slot machine ownership. You might wonder why states legislators would care, but if a person cannot own a slot machine, they won’t get the temptation to open their own gaming parlor. Also, some lawmakers don’t want people to enjoy the one-armed bandits at home. They would prefer you play the slots at brick-and-mortar casinos, where gamblers pay local businesses and state treasuries to entertain them.
Below, I have categorized the states according to the type of slot machine ownership laws they have passed. This should make it easy to browse and find out whether your state allows you to own the gaming machine of your dreams.
What Isn’t Allowed
Forty-one states allow people to own used slot machines. Only 9 states have a total, 100% ban on buying and selling used slots. Most of the other states have restrictions and conditions placed on the legal purchase of second-owner slot machines, but they have a wide range for what is allowed.
To allow people to browse easier and quickly find shorts list of banned, legal, and restricted sales of slot machines, below I break down the categories. Americans believe in the decentralization of power and the concept of checks and balances, so the United States of America is a patchwork of jurisdictions. Most gambling laws are handled at the state level and state’s rights are often championed by local citizens. That is good for the people of the country because it keeps corrupting power out of a relatively few hands. But it is bad when it comes to trying to understand the gambling laws state-by-state.
States Where Owning Slots Is Illegal
In 9 different U.S. states, it is illegal to own slot machines. Many of the states listed are anti-gambling bastions. Hawaii is one of two states which ban all forms of gambling, along with Utah. It is no surprise to see a comprehensive ban in the Hawaiian Islands. Southern states like Alabama, Tennessee, and South Carolina tend to enact laws based on socially conservative values, so one should not be surprised to see a ban on private slot machine ownership there. Nebraska is a red state and Wisconsin is currently the home of Gov. Scott Walker, so both lean conservative at the moment, too.
Connecticut is a gambling-friendly state, known for its two massive tribal gaming casinos: Foxwoods Resort and Mohegan Sun. Connecticut might have anti-ownership laws for slot machines to protect their native gambling industry.
- Alabama
- Connecticut
- Hawaii
- Indiana
- Nebraska
- New Mexico
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Wisconsin
States Where Owning Slots Is Legal
In the following 12 U.S. states, it is legal to own any type of slot machine. No restriction exists on owning slots at all. As readers can tell from the lists further down the page, restrictions usually exist on the age of the gaming machine. The idea is to allow vintage gaming machine aficionados to own older slots. At the same time, gamblers who want to own the latest, cutting-edge electronic slot machines often cannot make those purchases legally.
The twelve states listed below have no such restrictions. It might not seem strange to see that Nevada has no such restrictions since Las Vegas and Reno are gambling-friendly. What might seem strange is to see Utah, where all gambling is illegal, has no such restrictions. Texas and Arkansas, which hardly are gaming capitals, also have no restrictions. Kentucky, which usually features its horse racing industry over casino gambling, does not ban the ownership of slots.
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- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Kentucky
- Maine
- Minnesota
- Nevada
- Ohio
- Rhode Island
- Texas
- Utah
- West Virginia
Slot Machines Must Be 25 Years Old
Seventeen states have a law which states that slot machines owned by private non-licensed citizens must be 25 years old or older. Note that does not mean the owner has to be 25 or older. It means the gaming machine must be a quarter of a century old. The idea is the machine must be an older make or model, so the collectors of the machine are likely to want vintage slot machines for the sake of nostalgia.
When many of these laws were written, the 25-year rule meant that owners would be collecting mechanical slot machines, instead of the EGMs used in casinos these days. Note that several of the states listed are gaming-heavy states: California, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and the state of Washington. Some simply tend to have liberal laws.
- California
- Delaware
- Iowa
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Mississippi
- Montana
- New Hampshire
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- South Dakota
- Washington (state)
- Virginia
- Wyoming
What Is Allowed – Older Machines Can Be Bought
A handful of states also stipulate that a gaming machine must be a certain age, but have arbitrary time frames besides 25 years. Below is a list of seven U.S. states with time stipulations in the laws. Next to each state is the age a gaming machine must be before it can be purchased.
- Florida – 20 Years Old
- Illinois – 20
- Massachusetts – 30 Years Old
- Missouri – 30
- New York – 30
- Georgia – 50 Years Old
- Idaho – 50
Legal to Own – Year Stipulation
Five states and the District of Columbia take a slightly different approach to the states which set a time limitation on slot machine purchases. In the following states, a slot machine has to have been manufactured before a certain year in order to be legal. In most of those cases, the machine has to have been built in the 1940s or 1950s, in the Golden Age of slot machines. In those cases, the people who buy such machines are likely to be collectors of rare items.
In the case of Colorado, a slot machine has to have been produced before 1984 in order to be legally purchased. The early-to-mid 1980s is when slot machines stopped being built with mechanical reels and instead were designed as electronic game boxes with microchips and video screens. Therefore, Colorado gaming law restricts sales to vintage machines with mechanical reels.
- New Jersey – Prior to 1941
- Pennsylvania – Prior to 1941
- Kansas – Prior to 1950
- Washington DC – Prior to 1952
- Vermont – Prior to 1954
- Colorado – Prior to 1984
This should give you a basic understanding of the places you can buy used slot machines online, how much shipping you’ll have to pay to have them delivered, and whether it is legal to own such a fun device in your part of the USA. I recommend that those who live in places where slot machines are illegal should avoid any chance of breaking the law. You don’t want to have to explain how your vintage slot machine collection is not used for profit. Even if you convince the sheriff he doesn’t need to arrest you, he might confiscate your high-priced used slot machine.