Operators who search "skill machines seized what to do" usually need answers within hours. In Texas, the deadlines after a seizure are short, and missing one can end your ability to contest what happens to your property. This guide covers process under Texas law. It is not legal advice. Your attorney decides strategy.
Seizures happened across Texas in 2026. On Jan. 6, 2026, Galveston police, the Galveston County Sheriff's Office, the U.S. Marshals Service, Constable Precinct 1 and the district attorney's office executed warrants at five businesses and four residences. They seized eight-liner machines, currency, firearms and electronic records, and twelve people were charged with engaging in organized criminal activity, according to the Galveston County Daily News. In February, Laredo police seized about 80 gaming machines from a business on Jacaman Street and said more inspections or raids were expected, KGNS reported.
What should you do while police are seizing machines?
Stay calm, do not obstruct officers, and ask for a copy of the warrant. Under Texas Code of Criminal Procedure Art. 18.06, the officer executing a search warrant must present a copy to the owner of the place or the person in possession. The officer must also prepare a written inventory before taking property. Ask about that inventory.
Write down the executing agency, officers' names and badge numbers, and the time the search began and ended. Our editorial recommendation: put one calm person in charge of taking notes and have everyone else stay out of the way.
What should you document after a seizure?
Photograph and video the premises as soon as officers leave. Record where each machine stood, serial numbers and asset tags you have on file, and anything left behind. Note which machines carried a Comptroller occupation tax permit. The Texas Comptroller says that permit must be visible and securely attached to each machine available to customers. Write a timeline while memories are fresh. The Galveston raids show that cash and electronic records can be taken along with machines, so list those too.
Which paperwork should you get?
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The warrant copy and the inventory or receipt.
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The agency's case number.
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The name of the magistrate who received the warrant return. Art. 18.10 requires the officer to deliver a copy of the inventory to that magistrate, so the magistrate's file is your paper trail.
Watch the mail at the seized location. Under Art. 18.18, a show-cause notice goes by registered or certified mail, return receipt requested, to the person found in possession at the address where the property was seized.
Which records should you preserve?
Keep route agreements, machine leases, revenue-split contracts, purchase and import documents, Comptroller licenses and registration certificates, occupation tax permits, maintenance logs, prize and redemption records, and any vendor material describing how the games work. Do not destroy or alter anything.
Comptroller records prove registration, not legality. The Comptroller page describes general business licenses, registration certificates, import and repair licenses, and the $60 annual per-machine occupation tax permit. It makes no statement about whether a licensed machine is lawful.
Who owns the seized property?
Sort out ownership early: the location owner, the machine owner or operator, and the software vendor may each have an interest. In the Fannin County case described below, the store operator, Pace-O-Matic and a Texas operator all took part. Chapter 59 includes an innocent owner or interest holder defense. The owner must prove it by a preponderance of the evidence, and it depends partly on when the interest was acquired and perfected. Counsel will want ownership and lien documents.
How long do you have to respond to a Texas seizure?
The time is short, so contact counsel right away. Texas has two main forfeiture tracks, and any criminal case runs separately.
Art. 18.18 (gambling devices and proceeds). After a final conviction for possessing a gambling device, equipment or paraphernalia, the convicting court orders the items destroyed or forfeited. If there is no prosecution or conviction, the magistrate who received the warrant return must give the possessor written notice to show cause why the property should not be destroyed or the proceeds forfeited. The notice must describe the property, state the alleged proceeds, and give the possessor's name, the seizure address, and the date and time of the seizure. Any interested person must appear before the magistrate on the 20th day following the date the notice was mailed or posted. Anyone who fails to appear forfeits their interest and may not contest later. If someone appears, the magistrate holds a hearing on the nature of the property and the person's interest (CCP Chapter 18).
Chapter 59 (civil forfeiture of contraband). If property is seized under this chapter, the State's attorney must start proceedings within 30 days of the seizure. Owners and interest holders are served like parties in civil cases, civil pleading rules apply, and the State must prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the property is subject to forfeiture (CCP Chapter 59). Your lawyer can tell you which track, if either, applies to your seizure.
Can seized machines be returned?
Sometimes. Outcomes vary. In Fannin County, officers seized five machines and cash from a Quick Stop Food Store in Savoy. Former Judge Laurine Blake ruled the machines were "games of skill, not games of chance" and ordered the devices and cash returned. The Sixth Court of Appeals affirmed 2-1, with Justice Jeff Rambin writing, "The trial court heard the evidence in person. We did not. That matters," according to The Dallas Morning News. That result turned on the evidence in that case and does not establish the legality of any other machine.
Seizures can also reach cash. The Galveston County Sheriff's Office seized $721,408.11 from the City of Hitchcock's primary bank account in a game-room investigation, ABC13 reported. U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Brown dismissed the city's federal suit to recover the money, writing that "One government subdivision may not pursue constitutional claims against another." The ruling did not decide whether the seizure was lawful, the Galveston County Daily News reported.
The legal backdrop
Penal Code 47.01(4) defines a gambling device as a contrivance that, for a consideration, gives a player a chance to obtain anything of value, with the award determined solely or partially by chance. A narrow exclusion covers bona fide amusement devices that award only noncash merchandise prizes, toys or novelties worth no more than 10 times the cost of one play or $5, whichever is less. Under Section 47.06, knowingly owning, manufacturing, transferring or possessing a gambling device with intent to further gambling is a Class A misdemeanor.
Attorney General Opinion KP-0520, issued June 10, 2026 at Sen. Bob Hall's request, concludes that a machine offering both chance-based and skill-based modes "is a gambling device under Penal Code Chapter 47 so long as chance plays any role in determining whether the player receives something of value, regardless of the presence of skill," the Southeast Texas Record reported. It is an attorney general opinion, not a court ruling. Lone Star Skill, powered by Pace-O-Matic, issued a release applauding the opinion. That is the vendor's own position.
Post-seizure checklist
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Warrant copy obtained
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Written inventory or receipt obtained
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Executing agency and case number recorded
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Magistrate who received the warrant return identified
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Someone assigned to monitor mail at the seized address
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Photos, video and timeline completed
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Contracts, licenses, permits and logs preserved, unaltered
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Ownership and lien documents gathered for every interest holder
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Counsel engaged
To organize contracts and vendor documentation, use our vendor comparison checklist. It records questions and evidence. It is not legal approval or vendor verification.
Related reading
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Texas Skill Machine Enforcement Crackdown: Is It Actually Getting Tougher in 2026?
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How to Verify a Texas Coin-Operated Machine Permit Before You Buy Equipment
Sources
Reporting is for information, not legal advice. A vendor listing or the term skill game does not establish a machine's legality in any jurisdiction.
AI assistance was used in preparing this article. Consult primary sources and qualified counsel for legal decisions.