California law enforcement officials have eliminated new playing machines from Santa Anita Park simply days after they had been first put in.
The horse-racing location put in 26 new playing machines on January 14, just for them to be eliminated by law enforcement officials from the state Division of Justice and the town of Arcadia. The brand new machines had been met with instantaneous controversy, as they had been thought of to be in breach of California’s unique tribal gaming rights legal guidelines.
The Racing On Demand machines will accumulate cash for stay bets, a service that’s unique to California tribes. Solely horse racing is exempt from these legal guidelines, that means that slot or playing machines of some other variety usually are not allowed.
Santa Anita Park launched the video games on February 14, reasoning that regulatory approval was in reality granted again in April 2024, when the California Horse Racing Board handed an settlement on 3-on-3 wagering. That permits gamblers to select three successful horses, successful payouts at completely different ranges relying on how most of the three they get proper. The playing machines provided comparable video games, though the California officers nonetheless clearly deem them as slot machines and video games of likelihood, slightly than an extension of horse racing, given the latest operation to take away them.
Santa Anita’s machines eliminated in public raid
Pictures of the machines being eliminated have been shared on social media, with the raid going down on the afternoon of February 16.
“One thing goes down with the brand new machines right here at Santa Anita,” wrote MoneyLineBet on X.
Properly one thing goes down with the brand new machines her at Santa Anita
pic.twitter.com/uXU8Hmgx1y
— MoneyLineBet (@MoneyLineBet) January 18, 2026
“The monitor’s slots-style ‘Racing On Demand’ gaming machines had been eliminated this afternoon by California Division of Justice brokers,” wrote sports activities and politics journalist Kevin Modesti. “The video games’ legality was unclear as quickly as they had been put in [on] Thursday.”
Information at Santa Anita: The monitor’s slots-style “Racing On Demand” gaming machines had been eliminated this afternoon by California Division of Justice brokers. The video games’ legality was unclear as quickly as they had been put in Thursday. Looking for remark from Santa Anita and the DOJ. pic.twitter.com/yMlbmI2B2Q
— Kevin Modesti (@KevinModesti) January 18, 2026
ReadWrite has contacted Santa Anita and the California Division of Justice for remark.
Featured picture: Wikimedia Commons, licensed beneath CC BY 2.0
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