Man Used Trick Bill to Swindle Gas Station Gambling Machines in St. Louis

Tio Robinson defended himself to police arguing the gaming machines were themselves illegal

Jun 16, 2023 at 9:11 am

RYAN KRULL

A gaming machine at a gas station on South Grand.

St. Louis County prosecutors have charged a Georgia man with felony stealing after he and others used an "altered" bill to trick video slot machines in gas stations into letting them play for free.

According to a police probable cause statement, when 29-year-old Tio Robinson was questioned by police about the scheme, Robinson defended himself by arguing that "the machines were themselves illegal."

Police say Robinson and other men altered a $100 bill in such a way that a gaming machine would be tricked into thinking it had retained the currency when in fact the men could use it over and over again.

In total, Robinson and his cohort are accused of bilking the machines out of $30,416.

Police say the men were captured on surveillance video carrying out the scheme and that they carried out a similar one in the St. Charles area as well.

To Robinson's point, the machines do occupy a legal grey area in Missouri, where state law forbids gambling outside of casinos. However, these machines skirt that law by showing the player the outcome of the next bet before the player places it. Even if the next bet is a known-loser, players must play through it in order to eventually get to a winner.

The machines pay out in vouchers that many times can be cashed out by the gas station attendant.

The machines are so common in St. Louis that some gas stations have constructed special rooms where gamblers can play for hours on end.