Winchester police seized nearly 40 machines from 11 businesses and charged owners with possessing illegal gambling devices, but a Jefferson County judge enjoined Louisville officials from taking enforcement actions against similar “gray machines.”

Thousands of cash payout games resembling slot machines have proliferated in gas stations and stores around Kentucky over the last few years, pushing the state legislature to address the issue.

Lawmakers responded in 2023 by passing a bill to ban them and provide clarity on the so-called “gray machines,” dubbed so because of the legal gray area they occupy.