Opinion ID: 2503386
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Operational at time of hearing

Text: Appellant contends the circuit court erred in upholding the magistrate's Order of Destruction when the State was unable to prove that six of the seven machines had an illegal game installed that could actually be played at the time of the post-seizure hearing. We disagree. The State presented evidence that although no illegal game could be played on six of the seven machines at the time of the hearing, the hard drive of each machine had an administrative record reflecting that the illegal game(s) on the machine had been played multiple times. Expert testimony established that the seized machines had been altered post-manufacture so that an individual possessing a receiver, magnet, or other device could delete the game from the machine's `play list' while leaving the administrative record. A video introduced at the post-seizure hearing [2] showed the CI playing an illegal game on one of the machines during the State's undercover operation. Section 12-21-2710 makes it unlawful to possess illegal gambling machines, even if they are not fully operational. The mere possession of the gambling devices, or even their component parts, is unlawful. State v. 192 Coin-Operated Video Game Machines, supra . Moreover, testimony from the CI, the video showing illegal games being played on one of the machines, evidence that illegal games were installed on the machines, and evidence that the machines had been altered to allow the quick deletion of games is sufficient to uphold the lower courts' findings that the machines are illegal gambling devices under § 12-21-2710. Moreover, appellant misstates the burden of proof at the post-seizure hearing, which rests upon him to show why the machines should not be forfeited and destroyed, and not with the State to prove the machines are operable. State v. 192 Coin-Operated Video Game Machines, supra . Appellant is simply in error in arguing that the State must be able to play the illegal game at the post-seizure hearing.