Rapid removal
Missouri convenience store and gas station chain Rapid Roberts has removed video gaming terminals, which look and act like slot machines, from its properties to steer clear of legal trouble. Rapid Roberts COO Todd Wilson told Springfield news outlet Ozarks First that not every location had the machines, but they have been taken out of those that did.
Torch Electronics, the manufacturer of the machines, removed them at Rapid Roberts’ request.
Neither Wilson nor Torch Electronics’ attorney, Chuck Hatfield, knows exactly how many machines were taken from Rapid Roberts locations and sent back to Torch.
State Senator has some words
Missouri State Senator Curtis Trent is not pleased that Rapid Roberts felt compelled to make the move, but blames the state and lawmakers, not the company. In a letter to Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway provided to Ozarks First by Todd Wilson, Sen. Trent reminded Hanaway that “Previous administrations, and Attorneys General, have issued opinions to the business community confirming the video gaming machines were not illegal. Your recent actions have created significant confusion for businesses and charitable organizations.”
Sen. Trent emphasized that business owners who have used the machines to earn extra revenue did not do so thinking they were doing anything illegal, that they operate in “good faith.”
I do not believe it serves the public interest to harass taxpaying citizens”
Referencing recent “aggressive enforcement steps” by the state, Sen. Trent added: “I do not believe it serves the public interest to harass taxpaying citizens and businesses or to bring serious, life altering criminal charges against individuals who, if appropriately formally notified of the shift in your office’s policy, would gladly, fully, and swiftly comply.”
He requested that non-profits and charitable organizations be given written notification and 30 days to get rid of their machines. Sen. Trent concluded by saying that Missouri has “historically failed to act upon” what he calls “ambiguous points of law” and is concerned his constituents are being caught in the legal crossfire.
State cracking down
Rapid Roberts’ decision comes two weeks after AG Hanaway joined local and county officials to announce the state’s first criminal charges related to video gaming terminals.
Himanshu Patel, owner of Briarwood One Stop, a Conoco gas station in Brookline, was charged with two counts of promoting gambling for having video gaming machines in his store. On December 30, 2025, a state trooper visited the store after receiving a complaint, played on a machine, and determined it was a gambling device. A dozen machines were seized from the store on March 12.
unplug them, shut them down”
“The message we want to communicate to the stores that have these machines in them is, no matter what you’ve been told by the vendors trying to place these machines in your stores, they’re illegal,” Hanaway said at a press conference. “The best way to stay out of trouble is to unplug them, shut them down, perhaps even return them to whoever delivered them to your store.”
Springfield Police Chief Paul Williams said that the venues that have had gaming machines “have continued to basically thumb their nose at our local ordinance, and it’s been very frustrating for us and for our citizens.”
Chuck Hatfield disagrees with Hanaway. He told Ozarks First: “The attorney general should talk with the Springfield chief of police and other city officials who have actually examined and played these games and found them to be legal. Torch Electronics distributes these machines throughout Missouri. Many law enforcement officials have examined them and declined to prosecute after understanding how the games work.”
