Machines a Sign of Tough Economy
Tulare County - Illegal “coin pusher” gambling machines have been popping up in convenience stores across the state and more recently have been discovered in Valley locations, including almost a dozen discovered in Tulare County just last week.

The arcade-like machines are filled with rolls of quarters and paper currency -- $20, $50 and $100 bills -- wrapped around packages of gum or candy. The machines lead potential players to believe that if played right, they could win big.
However, according to the California Gambling Control Commission, these machines are illegal in California. The Commission stated in a November 2010 advisory: “…most, if not all, gambling devices—other than those operating in California Tribal Casinos—that a person pays to play, and that offer anything of value for playing, are illegal devices.”

The coin pusher machines have surfaced around Visalia and in surrounding communities in small, locally-owned convenience stores as well as in tobacco or smoke shops.

Two of these machines were removed in mid-June by Woodlake authorities after Woodlake Police Chief John Zapalac spotted a few kids working the machines one day.

“They are designed to take your money,” Zapalac said last week.
To play a coin pusher, quarters are dropped in on a table of quarters. Those quarters, if any, are pushed off the table by a moving platform into a chute and are “won.”

The game is set up to entice players to add more coins in an attempt to win the main lure, which are the large bills.

Shane Redmond, special agent supervisor for the California Bureau of Gambling Control, headquartered in Sacramento, said that although coin pushers have been around for a long time, the owners and makers of the machines have become more aggressive recently—possibly due to the economy—which motivated the bureau to create the advisory.

“These machines generate a lot of money,” said Redmond.

Unfortunately the machines are being marketed as 'legal' to store owners by the makers of the machines, who commonly provide fraudulent paperwork, saying that under California Penal Code, coin pusher machines that have vending capabilities or games of skill may be operated in the State of California.
Redmond confirmed Monday that this documentation is fake.

The six-page state advisory states: “A lawful device is one that is predominantly a game of skill.” Redmond added that there is little if any skill involved with these coin pusher machines.

“They are a game of chance, they are rigged, and there are just a lot of problems with them,” he said. “It would be rare to get any money back.”
Store owners are promised a split of the money, Zapalac said, usually a 40/60 percent split.

“What we learned is that the machine is initially baited with $125,” Zapalac said.
One of the two machines found in Woodlake was valued at $300 while the other was valued around $500.

“Since the advisory, we have seen seizures [of the machines] in numerous counties,” Redmond said, including Sonoma, Santa Cruz, Orange, Los Angeles, Kern and San Diego counties.

Redmond also added that most of the store owners know that the machines are illegal to run, but many claim they are unaware of the law when confronted by authorities.

Conversations between Zapalac and the store owners in Woodlake revealed little to no information about the owners of the machine. Zapalac also said that if the machine is not claimed within 30 days, Woodlake authorities will seize the funds and destroy the machine.

“We've sent the message in Woodlake that we have seized the machines,” Zapalac said. “I don't suspect they will be bringing anymore to Woodlake.”
The Valley Voice checked 10 tobacco shop locations throughout Visalia and found coin pusher's at the Visalia Smoke Shop, located at 645 South Lovers Lane as well as at Circle 7, located at 2020 N. Dinuba Boulevard.

Another machine was spotted in Tulare at Cigarette Outlet, located at 1156 E. Prosperity Ave.

Visalia Police Department Property Crimes Unit Sergeant Candido Alvarez said, “We have been looking into it trying to track down who is responsible for the machines.” Alvarez suspects that they are coming from “someone possibly out of the area.”

VPD has seized one machine so far and are currently looking at another location.
Coin pusher machines have also been discovered recently in Delano and Orosi.
Tulare County law enforcement officials are aware of the machines as well.
Sheriff's Department Public Information Officer Chris Douglass reported one machine found in Goshen had been removed by the California Department Gaming Control.

“Part of what we are doing is educating these business owners that mere possession [of the machines] is illegal,” VPD's Alvarez said. “We don't want these in our city.”