Slot Machines at Home
Antique Slots Games
People love slot machines, especially antique models that are long past their life in the casino. "Antique" slot machines (remember that machines that are twenty-five years old or older are considered "antique") are great design elements, especially for people who love Las Vegas or are slot machine fanatics themselves. Old slot machines have that cool "Old Vegas" feel, and can usually be altered so that they no longer accept or pay out coins. These antiques are something like video games and something like pieces of furniture.
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Is It Legal to Own a Slot Machine?
The legality of slot machine ownership at home varies from state to state. Most states in America allow an individual to own a slot machine if the slot machine meets one of the following three restrictions: "antique" slot machines, non-coin-operated slot machines, and non-functional slot machines.
If you own a slot machine in your home that is prohibited by law, you are subject to fines and arrest, and your slot machine will be confiscated and destroyed.
Antique Slot Machines
According to the federal government, slot machines that are at least 25 years old are "antique" and are not bound by the same laws of modern or new slot machines. To be declared as an antique, the seller of the slot machine has to explicitly state and prove the age of the machine in the sale document.
Having said that, people in the following states are not allowed to
own antique slot machines or slot machines of any kind:
- Alabama
- Connecticut
- Hawaii
- Indiana
- Nebraska
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
There are a few other states with slightly different laws regarding the definition of an "antique" slot machine. In Idaho, for example, the law specifies that to be considered an "antique slot machine", the machine must have been built prior to 1950, and it has to operate on an exclusively mechanical basis, without any electrical input.
If you want to own a slot machine, antique or otherwise, your best bet is to check your state and local laws regarding the ownership of slot machines.
Non Coin-operated Slot Machines
Almost every state allows people to own slot machines that aren't
"coin-operated." These laws are meant to allow people to put "video-game
style" slot machines up in their home or business while still
restricting the use of slot machines for gambling purposes.
Making things even muddier from a legal perspective are slot machines that are sold as "non coin-operated" but can be easily converted to use with either coins or currency. This kind of slot machine use to exist in a legal gray area that allowed people to purchase "non-functional" slot machines and alter them after the fact, essentially allowing these individuals to own slot machines for gambling purposes. These types of slot machines are treated as fully coin-operated machines and prohibited in the following states:
- Alabama
- California
- Missouri
- New Jersey
- New York
- North Carolina
- Oregon
Non-functional Slot Machines
This final category is for those people who want to put up a slot
machine as a simple design element in their home. There are slot
machines manufactured just for their looks--these machines were never
functional but built for display purposes only.
This category also covers coin-operated slot machines that have been permanently altered so that these machines cannot accept or payout money at all. These slot machines are sometimes more like video games than anything else, and as long as they have been professionally altered to exclude the use of currency, they are fully legal to own in your home.
Owning Slot Machines in Minnesota
If you're a slot enthusiast and you live in Minnesota, you're in luck. Minnesota citizens are allowed to won any slot machine of any kind in the privacy of their home, though the use of slot machines as gambling devices in your home is not allowed thanks to federal laws against gambling. What this means for the slot enthusiast--consider buying a fully-functional machine and having it altered so that you aren't accused of running an illegal casino in your home.
Online Slot Machines
One way of enjoying slot machine play in the comfort of your home is to play online slot machine games. These are great for killing time, especially if you aren't playing with real money. Free slots are available all over the place, from basic video game sites to "free" versions of online casino software. While playing free online slots won't make you a better slot machine player, you can quench your thirst for slot play with online versions of slot gaming or just sit and spin the reels for a while to amp yourself up for your next slot tournament.
Owning and playing slot machines at home is tricky legal ground. Check your state laws and your local restrictions before you go buying a fancy slot machine. In general, machines that no longer accept currency or are more than 25 years old are legal, and if you're using a machine strictly as a design element, you're probably operating well within the law.
