AMOA-NY has reported that police in New York City and adjacent Nassau County have been “harassing and bullying” some of their members who own bars, taverns and retail locations with The Real Broadway, a video poker game produced by Merit Industries in the ’90s. The association said the police appear to be doing this in coordination with the town of Hempstead, the New York State Liquor Authority and the New York State Gaming Commission.
“All of the games that law enforcement agents have confiscated are legal,” explained AMOA-NY President Ken Goldberg. “AMOA-NY has been thrust into ‘David vs. Goliath’ circumstances. AMOA-NY has limited resources to protect the interests of its small business members and their mini-business locations. These powerful government officials have abundant resources to display their arrogance.”
Added the association’s executive director Danny Frank: “There has been widespread recent media coverage on how the New York State Lottery’s income has dropped. The three new New York City area casinos (each of which were required to pay New York State $500,000,000 to open), combined with all of the other brick and mortar casinos, are not doing the numbers they expected.
“Online digital gaming and hyper sports betting readily available easily transacted on anyone’s iPhone has become the leading income source for New York government. Meanwhile, it has adversely affected the income for the brick and mortar casinos and the lottery. We believe New York State government officials are trying to show the lottery and the casinos how they are eliminating competition by trying to put AMOA-NY operators and their locations out of business. Our niche cottage industry represents a fraction in proportion to the size and scope of online digital gaming, sports betting and casinos.”
AMOA-NY General Counsel Cary David Kessler has filed three legal actions under the Chapter 8 Laws of 2011, Penal Law Section 225.00 (7-a) (the legality of an amusement device providing free points or extended play, etc.).
They also reported that one operator, Tracy Sullivan, was led out of her bar (Sean Patrick’s in Hewlett) in handcuffs and processed at the local Nassau County police precinct. Kessler and his law firm Farley & Kessler filed a motion to dismiss the charges and they were dropped.
The machines, which were taken on Oct. 8, 2025, were provided by Branch Amusements and still remain in police custody.
AMOA-NY’s president urges any other New York vending operators who’ve been “subjected to similar harassment and bullying by law enforcement” to contact Cary David Kessler at 516-433-4220.