The Wichita City Council passed a new ordinance that will stiffen penalties for businesses that operate illegal gambling machines, called "games of chance."
These games are not state-regulated, so the chance of winning is around 50 percent, considerably less than at state-owned facilities. For "games of skill" on the other hand, the outcome of the game is determined mostly by skill.
Council member Jeff Blubaugh said games of chance are a big problem in his district, targeting lower income neighborhoods.
A licensee who violates the new ordinance will receive a written warning on the first offense, a 90-day suspension for the second offense and a one-year suspension for the third.
Originally, the ordinance would have placed regulations on both games of chance and skill. The council struck out the latter and will have discussions with police and game industry experts before it comes back to the council on October 3.