Kennewick Cracks Down on Gambling Devices
Following the state-wide ban on alcohol, the local prosecutor turned his sights on punch boards and slot machines in corner stores.
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The state is dry. And that isn't all. The 'Thou-Shalt-Not' lid was given another downward twist this week when Sheriff C. E. Daily, acting under instruction from Prosecuting Attorney C. W. Fristoe, gave official notice that operation of gambling devices of all descriptions must cease immediately. As a result of the order, there has been a noticeable exit of slot machines and punch boards from conspicuous places in soft drink, cigar and confectionery stores in the city. There is one lonesome board still in operation which lays claim to immunity by reason of the fact that it delivers something with every punch. Little or no complaint has been voiced by local business men against the new order of things. For the most part they have quietly obeyed instructions and said nothing. Some of them have even expressed themselves as heartily in accord with the prosecuting attorney's action.
“The popularity of the punch board was due for a tumble anyway. Or in other words, the punching game had lost its punch.”
The crackdown on 'punch boards'—a common form of low-stakes gambling in 1910s shops—shows how the 'dry law' era prompted a broader cleanup of public spaces and social amusements, mirroring modern tensions over the regulation of storefront games of chance.
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