Ohio regulator and sheriff seize 63 illegal slot machines at Greenfield business

Ohio gaming regulators have removed 63 unlicensed slot machines from a business in Greenfield, in a joint operation with local law enforcement. The Ohio Casino Control Commission worked with the Highland County Sheriff's Office on the action, which followed an investigation into suspected illegal gambling at the site.

The venue sits on State Route 753, though authorities have not named the business. According to the commission, it opened its inquiry after receiving complaints about unlicensed gambling machines on the premises. Investigators then obtained a search warrant and searched the property, where officers seized the machines along with an undisclosed amount of money.

Andromeda Morrison, interim executive director of the commission, said the regulator would keep working with law enforcement partners to protect the integrity of gaming in Ohio. She warned that unlicensed gambling can harm communities, weaken public safety and damage the lives of residents.

Gambling in Ohio is permitted only at the state's 11 commercial gaming properties. Four of them are full-scale land-based casinos, and the other seven are racinos offering lottery terminals, live horse racing and sports betting, but no traditional table games. People who organize illegal gambling can face first-degree misdemeanor charges, which may bring jail time and substantial fines.

The Greenfield case follows similar activity earlier in the year. In October, the commission worked with the Findlay Police Department to remove more than two dozen illegal gambling machines from a video arcade called Shamrock Skill. The regulator says it has now confiscated more than 8,800 unlawful devices in total.

Illegal machines are not the only enforcement concern for Ohio. The commission has sent cease-and-desist notices to several prediction market companies, among them Kalshi, Polymarket and Robinhood. Governor Mike DeWine has said the state intends to pursue enforcement rather than issue warnings alone, arguing that the companies offer sports-related wagers without state licences.

Prediction markets are especially contentious in Ohio because the state bans certain types of sports wagers, including bets on specific plays within a game, and sports-related event contracts often focus on exactly those outcomes. A federal court recently ruled that Kalshi must comply with Ohio law. The company has challenged that decision, maintaining that only the Commodity Futures Trading Commission can regulate its activities.