SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — An attorney for Torch Electronics says the City of Springfield is targeting the business licenses of those who house casino-style gaming machines.
Those machines fall under the current ordinance passed in February 2024 but are currently being challenged in court by Torch.
The ordinance was created due to public outrage over gaming lounges and the negative impact on Springfield neighborhoods.
Attorney Chuck Hatfield said Torch supported that idea, but not the idea of their machines being looped in.
“We supported an effort to get rid of these-style parlors with illegal gaming machines that had sprouted up in Springfield. We thought that was a good idea. We thought the ordinance was overly broad and it swept up legitimate businesses and legitimate amusement devices into the ordinance,” said Hatfield. “To an extent, that ordinance has worked and accomplished what we understood the goals to be. At this point, with going after legitimate businesses, we don’t believe there’s any reason to be doing that. It kind of seems like the city has gotten dug into a position, and I’m hoping that, you know, wiser heads will eventually prevail and realize that the goal has been accomplished and the issue of crime and loitering and that sort of thing has been addressed and they don’t need to be going after these amusement devices anymore.”