HARTFORD — The state Department of Consumer Protection Gaming Division has issued a warning to anyone interested in using illegal gambling machines: They are designed to steal your money.
The Gaming Division confiscated six such machines, along with $900 in cash, from four locations in December. Continued enforcement activity will take place this month as the agency cracks down on illegal machines, the division said in a press release.
“If you choose to gamble, it is critical to do it on a legal, licensed platform, whether that’s at one of our state’s two casinos, or through the licensed and regulated online gaming platforms,” said DCP Commissioner Bryan T. Cafferelli. “These illegal machines pose a significant risk to communities, and we will be confiscating any illegal machines found by our investigators. Thank you to our team who works hard day in and day out to ensure the integrity of gaming in our state.”
The machines might look like those available at the tribal Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun casinos and online gaming operators, but are often crudely manufactured, typically return far less than the law requires of regulated machines, said Gaming Division Director Kris Gilman.
“Put simply, they are designed to take your money,” Gilman said. “Anyone with knowledge of an illegal machine is asked to make a report to the department so that enforcement action can be taken against the operator of the illegal machine. Consumers who have placed wagers on illegal machines are not the target of this investigation.”
Electronic gaming slot machines are only allowed at the tribal casinos. All machines found outside of those facilities are illegal. Such machines put consumers’ money and information at risk, have no age-based restrictions, and offer significantly worse odds than regulated physical slot machines and legal iGaming platforms, DCP stated.
One machine confiscated by DCP showed the machine had collected $191,359 and paid out only 66 percent to users. By comparison, regulated slot machines and iCasino games are required to pay back at least 80 percent or more of the amount wagered over time to customers.
Foxwoods, Mohegan Sun, and their iGaming partners DraftKings and FanDuel respectively returned more than 94.6 percent of the amount wagered on slot machines and iCasino games as winnings to customers in 2024.
Consumers can report illegal gaming machines to DCP by emailing DCP.Gaming@ct.gov.
