Florida Slot Machines in Limbo

November 13, 2007
by Tony Stevens

On September 8, 2006, the Putnam County Sheriff's department seized fifty slot machines in a raid on JR Vegas Style Games. These machines were leased to JR Vegas Style Games by South Carolina's Dodge City Games. The company now says that the sheriff's department is keeping the confiscated machines illegal, and they're seeking a judgment from the courts requiring the return of the machines as well as $18,250 in to cover currency and gift cards that were confiscated, as well as attorneys' fees.

JR Vegas Style Games was owned and operated by Robert Alvin Powers, Barbara Prevatt, and Jill Renee Russo. The sheriff and prosecutors contended that these were gambling machines and operating a business with these machines qualified as a 3rd degree felony for running a gambling hall, but the court ruled otherwise. The skill level required of the games disqualified them as gambling machines, and the suit was dismissed. This was for the civil suit.

The day after the case was dismissed, the sheriff's office and the prosecutors filed a criminal suit. The defendants agreed to a plea deal, and part of the deal was that they would lose any ownership interest in the slot machines, and the slots would be turned over to the state for disposal. The problem is that JR Vegas Style Games didn't own the machines to begin with, so they weren't able to agree to the disposal of the machines, which are actually owned by Dodge City Games.

The attorney for Dodge City Games insists that the attorneys knew this when they agreed to the deal. And according to Florida state law, an adjudication is required before the state can dispose of property. (The deal was that no adjudication would be issued in exchange for the agreement from JR Vegas Style Games to forfeit any interest in the slot machines.)

The 50 slot machines are still being held in evidence by the sheriff's department while the interested parties await another court decision.