Gambling in Waterville?

Randy Studer, in his research on local businesses turned up a series of 1950 Toledo Blade articles about slot machines in Waterville. To be fair we must note that in the 1940s and earlier, nickel, dime and quarter slot machines could be found in most stores, restaurants and some gas stations in this area, and I would guess in all of Ohio. This writer can remember one in the small rural convenience store where I bought penny and nickel candy as a kid. I assume they were all placed by “the Mob” who controlled all gambling.

In our case it seems that in early April of 1950 a Toledo anti-gambling man saw kids playing slot machines in our local restaurants and swore out a complaint against five establishments. The case was brought to our township Justice of the Peace, George Pershing of Whitehouse, who issued search and seizure warrants for these businesses. Constable Ernest Longnecker was given responsibility for carrying out the order and deputized two men, Wilbur Baumgartner and James Smith to help. On April 20, 1950 our three heroes visited the River Road Grill, Jack’s Grill, The Village Kitchen and the Waffle Dog Restaurant in Waterville and removed three slot machines from each. The River Road Ranch was spared because the twelve seized slots filled up their truck. They took their contraband slots back to Whitehouse and stored them in a small garage building, owned by the township, behind the Fire Station and the story now gets more interesting. The next day someone noticed the garage door had been “forced” and sure enough the slot machines were gone. Mr. Longnecker notified the county Sheriff George Timinay and requested an investigation but got no response until the next day. Needless to say, those slots were never found. So it was that the youth of Waterville were saved from the evils of gambling by this action, Mr. Longnecker resigned from his part time occupation as constable over the theft of the seized slots and in 1951, the State of Ohio passed antigambling laws that ended uncontrolled slot machines (forever?)