TLDR A federal judge ruled Torch Electronics’ “no-chance” gas station machines are illegal gambling devices under Missouri law The ruling follows an October 2025 jury verdict that ordered Torch to pay a competitor $500,000 A Tennessee court made a similar ruling against Torch’s machines in July 2025 Missouri’s attorney general has filed lawsuits against retailers and says a federal investigation into money laundering is underway The Missouri House passed a bill to create a state-run video lottery system to replace unregulated machines
A federal judge has ruled that “no-chance” gaming machines found in Missouri gas stations and convenience stores are illegal gambling devices under state law.
U.S. District Judge John A. Ross issued the ruling on Feb. 13 in a case involving Torch Electronics, one of the state’s largest operators of the machines.
The judge found that Torch’s devices meet Missouri’s legal definition of a gambling device. He wrote that they are “therefore illegal under Missouri law when operated outside a licensed casino.”
Torch has marketed the machines as “no chance” games, arguing that a “prize viewer” feature lets players see the next payout in advance. The company says this removes the element of chance.
Judge Ross disagreed. He found that outcomes still rely on shuffled prize pools and random number generators, meaning chance plays a material role even when the preview feature is available.
Up for Missouri House debate now: to regulate or not to regulate gas station slot machines. #moleg #mogov pic.twitter.com/2TNMnq8ajc
— Alisa Nelson (@alisagbrnelson) February 16, 2026
Second Court to Rule Against Torch
This is not the first time a court has rejected Torch’s legal argument. In July 2025, a Tennessee Chancery Court also declared the “No Chance Games” unlawful, finding that the prize viewer did not eliminate the