The legality of buying a used slot machine in the United States varies from state to state. Many online merchants only allow the sale of antique slot machines—actual coin-operated slot machine games that aren’t antiques are generally unavailable for purchase. This is intended to curtail the potential for unlicensed casinos from popping up in various towns across the country.
This page takes a look at the various options available in various states.
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Which States Make It Illegal to Own a Used Slot Machine?
The following states have made it illegal to own slot machines privately. This includes any kind of slot machine game, including antiques:
The best advice we can offer to residents of those states is to not buy or try to own a slot machine. Dealers in used and antique slot machines won’t even ship to people living in these states.
- Alabama
- New Mexico
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
Which States Allow You To Own Antique Machines?
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The following states allow ownership of antique slot machines only. Their definitions of “antique” vary. In most of these states, a game that’s 25 years old or older is an antique, but some of these states have stricter or looser guidelines. We’ve included notes after the states which have a different rule than the 25 years standard:
- Colorado – Any machine before 1984
- D.C – Any machine before 1952
- Florida – Only requires 20 years+
- Georgia – Any machine before 1950
- Idaho – Any machine before 1950
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Kansas – Any machine before 1950
- Massachussets – Requires 30 years+
- Michigan
- Missouri – Requires 30 years+
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey – Any machine before 1941
- New York – Requires 30 years+
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- South Dakota
- Vermont – Any machine before 1954
Which States Don’t Have Any Restrictions?
The following states don’t have restrictions on the ownership of used slot machines:
Keep in mind that laws change all the time, so if you’re unsure about whether or not it’s legal to own a particular type of used or antique slot machine in your jurisdiction, get professional legal advice. We can’t be held responsible for out of date or inaccurate legal information—this site’s purpose is to provide information for educational and entertainment purposes, and it’s not intended to replace the advice of a legal professional.
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Maine
- Minnesota
- Nevada
- Rhode Island
- Texas
- Utah
Buying a Used Slot Machine on eBay
Most people buying something used check eBay first. You should be aware that their site has specific guidelines regarding the sale of slot machines. For example, coin-operated machines that aren’t antiques aren’t allowed to be sold there. They also don’t allow the sale of machines which can be converted to accept coins. Replicas that work are NOT considered antiques.
Slot machines that don’t accept currency and don’t pay out money are allowed to be sold on eBay.
Other Dealers
Antique slot machine dealers often have their own sites and even their own brick and mortar locations where you can do business. For the most part, they’ll follow similar to business practices as the eBay guidelines. In other words, if you live in a state where slot machine ownership is illegal, they probably won’t sell to you.
Prices for used slot machines vary widely based on condition and rarity. Slot Machines and Coin-Op Games: A Collector’s Guide to One-Armed Bandits and Amusement Machines was published in 1994, so much of the information contained within is out of date, but the information about condition and collecting in general is still useful. The book includes lots of photographs and information about other types of coin-operated games, too, including penny arcade games, pinballs, and other novelty games.
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Classified Ads
One option for aspiring used slot machine collectors and buyers is to advertise in the classifieds section of the local newspaper. Posting a “want-to-buy” ad might result in finding private owners who are willing to sell used or antique slot machine games for considerably less than a professional dealer would. Don’t bother trying to use the free ads on Craigslist for this purpose though—they have a strict policy related to gambling items, and they don’t allow ads for the purpose of buying, selling, or trading slot machines of any kind.
How Much Does a Used Slot Machine Cost?
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We’ve seen some antique slot machines for sale for as little as a $500, but most of them are at least $1000, and the really rare, high-quality slots sell for $3000 or more. Shipping costs are also expensive because of the size and weight of the machines. You can expect to pay at least $250 to ship any reasonable sized slot machine game.