CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The West Virginia Lottery is turning off 172 limited video lottery machines at 26 retail locations at the end of business Wednesday because the Limited Video Lottery operator did not submit the required information to the Lottery Commission for relicensing.
Lottery Acting Director David Bradley said Parkersburg-based Trans-Allegheny Enterprises has had some extenuating circumstances.
“We’ve been in contact with Trans-Allegheny and right now at this time the application is incomplete,” Bradley told Lottery Commission members at Wednesday’s commission meeting. ” We’re missing a good-standing letter from the state Tax Department and we’re also missing their financials.”
Bradley said Trans-Allegheny Chief Officer Tom Fittro has been sick. The Lottery Commission is giving him 30 days to submit the information but until then the machines will be turned off. Lottery Commission Chairman Ken Greear said that’s state law. The annual licenses LVL operators run from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30.
Fittro was listening to the Lottery Commission meeting by phone and spoke up and asked the machines be left on.
“There’s several retailers which include multiple employees that are going to be affected by the shutdown,” Fittro said.
Greear answered, “We understand that, but on the other hand, hopefully, you will be able to get that done quickly because the emphasis is on you to provide the information so we can get those retailers back in operation.”
Fittro said he’ll submit the information “as soon as my health permits.”
Fittro said he had a medical procedure on Monday.
The Lottery Commission relicensed more than 30 other LVL operators who submitted their information to the commission on time.