Managing officers at two Jefferson County gas stations have been charged with misdemeanors after a Missouri State Highway Patrol trooper allegedly found illegal gambling devices at their businesses. The trooper said he found a total of 13 illegal machines at the Phillips 66/Express Mart, 801 Collins Drive, in Festus and Britton’s Quick Shop, 8730 Old Hwy. 21, in Hillsboro, according to court documents.
Jeffrey A. Mesplay, 44, of St. Louis, the managing officer at the Festus Phillips 66/Express Mart, and Douglas E. Warren, 60, of De Soto, the managing officer at the Hillsboro Britton’s Quick Shop, were both charged with possession of a gambling device, a class A misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $2,000, court records show.
Mesplay did not return a phone call on Monday, and no one answered at the Britton’s Quick Shop when the gas station was called Monday.
According to probable-cause statements filed by the Highway Patrol, a trooper investigated complaints about illegal gambling devices at the Express Mart on Dec. 22, 2024, and at the Quick Shop on May 28. The trooper reported finding four illegal machines at the Express Mart and nine at the Quick Shop.
The trooper played several rounds on a machine at each gas station, collecting money from an electronic kiosk at the gas stations. The trooper said the machines had a “pre-reveal” icon, or prize viewer which allowed a player to preview the outcome, a win or a loss, and is not financially obligated to play, the report said.
The trooper also wrote, “This knowledge does not assist in obtaining a more favorable outcome, nor does it provide a means to skip or alter the outcome. The outcome, from a player’s perspective, is determined by chance and if a player wishes to take the chance that subsequent outcomes would be more advantageous, you are required to continue playing.
“Knowing the outcome in advance does not remove the chance-based determination. Further, being able to remove consideration upon learning of the outcome does not remove the element of chance because, as designed, the game requires a player to move past the immediate play for the chance that the next will be a winning game.”