In Missouri, Torch Electronics and Warrenton Oil donated a total of $350,000 to six political action committees (PACs) associated with Steve Tilley, a controversial lobbyist and former state legislator with close ties to Governor Mike Parson.
Tilley’s lobbying firm represents Torch, owners of slot-like machines operating in truck stops, taverns and other locations throughout the state. The machines are considered illegal gambling devices by the Missouri Gaming Commission; the games are prohibited outside of licensed casinos. The Missouri Highway Patrol also said the games are illegal, and some prosecutors are pursuing criminal charges against companies that own and house the machines.
Torch has argued that its machines aren’t gambling devices but games of chance. Torch and Warrenton Oil have sued the Highway Patrol and other state agencies claiming a “campaign of harassment and intimidation.” Since 2018, Torch has donated $430,000 to six of Tilley’s PACs.
Legislative efforts to regulate the so-called “gray-market machines” have been unsuccessful. Now state officials hope the courts will declare the machines to be illegal.
