The question of which states have VGT slot machines cannot be answered with a fixed list, because the term VGT covers several different classes of device and the answer changes as state rules and local approvals change. A reader trying to plan a trip or understand where these machines operate needs to know what VGT means in a given state, why two sources may disagree, and which public office publishes the current list.
What a VGT Is and Why the Term Varies
VGT stands for video gaming terminal. In common use it refers to an electronic machine that plays a game of chance on a video screen and pays out based on a random outcome. The same physical cabinet may be called a video lottery terminal, a video poker machine, an electronic gaming device, or simply a slot machine depending on the jurisdiction and the legal framework that authorizes it.
The label matters because it often signals which set of state rules applies. A machine placed under a state lottery framework is usually called a video lottery terminal. A machine placed under a commercial gaming framework is usually called a slot machine. A machine placed in a truck stop or fraternal club under a separate local-option law may be called a VGT even though it looks similar to both of the others.
How a Machine Becomes a VGT in a State
No single national rule creates VGT machines. Each state that allows them does so through its own legislative process and its own regulatory structure. The general path is that a state law authorizes a class of device, a state agency writes technical and operational rules for that class, and then individual locations or operators apply to place machines under those rules.
That means the presence of VGT machines in a state is not a single on-off switch. A state may authorize VGTs in truck stops but not in bars, or in fraternal organizations but not in convenience stores, or only in counties that pass a local referendum. Two states can both have VGT machines and have almost nothing else in common about where they are allowed.
Because the authorization is location-specific and rule-specific, the only reliable way to know whether a particular state currently has VGT machines is to check the public list kept by the state agency that regulates that class of device. The agency is usually a gaming control board, a lottery commission, or a revenue department with a gaming division. The reader should search for the state name plus the term the state itself uses for the device, then look for the agency's published list of approved locations or approved machine models.
Why Different Sources Give Different State Lists
Readers often find that one website lists six states with VGTs and another lists nine. The disagreement usually comes from a difference in what each source counts as a VGT. The table below shows the common definitional splits and how they change the count.
| Definition used | What it includes | What it excludes | Why the count changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Video lottery terminal only | Machines run under a state lottery's central system | Commercial slot machines, tribal machines, truck-stop VGTs under a separate law | Narrowest list; often the smallest number of states |
| Any video gaming terminal | All electronic game-of-chance cabinets regardless of authorizing law | Only mechanical reel machines and table games | Broadest list; often the largest number of states |
| Commercial slot machines only | Machines in licensed casinos and racinos | Lottery terminals, truck-stop machines, fraternal-club machines | Middle list; misses states that only have non-casino VGTs |
| Tribal gaming devices | Machines on tribal land under a tribal-state compact | All off-reservation commercial and lottery machines | Adds states with tribal casinos but no commercial VGT law |
The table shows why a single state can appear on one list and disappear from another. The machine on the floor may be identical; the legal category it sits in is not. A reader who needs a definitive answer should decide which definition matters for their purpose and then check the source that uses that same definition.
The State Agency List Is the Authoritative Source
Every state that authorizes VGT machines keeps some form of public record of where those machines may operate. The record may be called a list of licensed locations, a list of approved video gaming terminals, a directory of licensed establishments, or a machine model approval list. The name varies, but the function is the same: it tells the public which places currently hold an authorization.
These lists are updated when a location opens, closes, loses an authorization, or changes ownership. That is why any fixed list published in an article or on a travel site goes stale quickly. A state may add a county after a local vote, remove a location after an enforcement action, or approve a new machine model that expands where VGTs can be placed.
The reader should treat any third-party list as a starting point, not a final answer. The final answer lives on the state agency's own website, usually in a section labeled gaming, video gaming, lottery, or charitable gaming. The reader should look for a date stamp or revision note on the list to confirm how current it is.
What to Confirm Before You Go
If the purpose of the question is travel planning, the reader should confirm three things before relying on any state list. First, confirm the exact legal class of the machine at the destination, because a state may allow VGTs in one type of venue and not another. Second, confirm the current status of the specific location, because an authorization can lapse even when the state still allows the device class. Third, confirm the local rules for the venue, because a county or municipality may have its own restriction even inside a state that authorizes VGTs.
The channel that carries the current answer is the state gaming or lottery agency's published location list, plus the venue's own current authorization notice. A reader who checks both has done everything that can be done from outside the state.
How the Count Changes Over Time
The number of states with VGT machines is not stable. A state legislature can pass a new authorization bill, a governor can sign or veto it, a court can strike down a local-option law, and a state agency can issue or revoke individual location approvals. Any of those events changes the answer to the question.
That is why this article does not print a number of states. A number printed today could be wrong by the time a reader checks it, and the reader would have no way to know which event changed it. The durable answer is the mechanism: VGT machines exist where a state law authorizes them, and the state agency publishes the current list of authorized locations.
For a reader who wants to track changes, the state legislature's bill-tracking page and the state gaming agency's rulemaking notices are the two public channels where changes appear first. Neither is a list of states; both are the feed from which any list is built.
FAQ
Which states currently have VGT slot machines?
No fixed list can be printed here, because the answer depends on what the source counts as a VGT and because the list changes as state laws and location approvals change. The reader should check the published location list kept by the state gaming or lottery agency for the state in question, using the term that state itself uses for the device.
Are VGT machines the same as regular slot machines?
Physically they are often similar or identical, but the legal category differs. A VGT may be authorized under a lottery framework, a commercial gaming framework, or a separate local-option law. The label signals which set of state rules applies, not a difference in how the machine plays or pays.
Why do different websites list different states for VGTs?
Each source uses a different definition of what counts as a VGT. One may count only video lottery terminals, another may count every electronic game-of-chance cabinet, and another may include tribal gaming devices. The reader should match the source's definition to the purpose of the question, then check the state agency list that uses the same definition.
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This article is general information about how these mechanics work. It is not legal advice and not a recommendation to gamble or to use any particular operator. Availability and legality differ by jurisdiction — check the rules that apply where you are.