In its ongoing battle to tamp out illegal gaming in the state, Florida law enforcement recently highlighted a large raid bust late last month. Per a recent article, $403K in cash was confiscated and 400 slot machines were disabled following raids last week of gambling operations in Florida’s Volusia County, authorities said. Each of the gambling joints was shuttered following last month’s court-ordered searches, according to Florida TV station WFTV. Moreover, the article said the gaming dens were not only the sites of illegal gambling but were associated with robberies, shootings, and drug overdoses. Moreover, many of the players who gambled at the operations were on fixed or minimal incomes, including those who are senior citizens, authorities were later quoted as saying. One of the sites last year alone generated $37M in revenue from slot gambling, officials said, giving the owners a $5M profit, per sources.
For this report, SBS will be going over all of the latest gaming news coming from Florida along with some more notes and thoughts regarding Sunshine State gaming.
According to the article, the 11 illegal casinos were identified as being at the following locales: Preview Games in Orange City, Winner’s Circle, Cyber Monkey, Phoenix 3, and Comptrek all in DeLand. Moreover, the locales extended out to Pierson (Lucky Seven Arcade), Ormond Beach (Spin-N-Win, Winners, and Jiffy), and also Daytona Beach (Lucky Duck and Klix Arcade). Three suspects were charged for running an illegal gambling house and another suspect was found to be wanted on a warrant for a parole violation.
Noted in the article, the investigation was run by the Volusia Sheriff’s Office and the Florida Gaming Commission. “Throughout Volusia County, we have these illegal gambling houses that are popping up all over,” Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said in a statement. “It’s sort of like playing whack-a-mole: We’ll go in with a cease-and-desist order, they will temporarily shut down and then change locations and operate in a different venue.” He also said these illegal operations were “stealing” money from visitors, according to the Daytona Beach News-Journal.
To keep patrons on site, the article explained that the 11 gambling joints even gave players catered meals so they did not have to take a break to get food, Chitwood also revealed. The inquiry into illegal gambling started two years ago. The gambling joints were investigated, evidence was presented to a local judge who approved search warrants, and then the raids took place. Last month’s raids, and ones taking place in the county during November, led to the seizure of more than $1.1M and the disabling of over 600 slot machines, according to the sheriff’s office. The sheriff’s office plans to continue to crack down on illegal gambling and related crimes.
Per another report, detectives with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office moved in on four illegal gaming establishments back in June, executing search warrants and making off with hundreds of thousands of dollars in seized assets and cash. Those warrants were executed June 13th with help from the Florida Gaming Control Commission, as well as Leesburg, Clermont, Eustis, and Mount Dora police, the sheriff’s office said on social media. The investigation, like the one in Volusia, stemmed from ongoing concerns that illegal gambling throughout the county had led to an increase in law enforcement calls for service, criminal activity, and other threats to public safety, the post states.
“Illegal gambling establishments operate outside the legal, regulated market to exploit vulnerable Floridians,” Lou Trombetta, FGCC executive director, said in a statement. “They are usually associated with organized crime, do not generate state tax revenue, and do not provide the same consumer protections or safeguards as legal gaming operators. From the establishments noted in that report, some $211,000, as well as around 170 gaming machines, left the locations with no further means of operating as gambling houses, the sheriff’s office said.
Citations for misdemeanor notices to appear were issued to six employees in lieu of arrests, in part to continue efforts by the sheriff’s office to inform surrounding business owners and the public that electronic game rooms are unlawful. This is pursuant to Florida State Statute 849.01, the article notes. As noted in the space before, there has been a stronger influx of illegal gaming operations around the state of Florida as the debate rages on regarding overall gaming legislation within the state and also how the future of Sunshine State wagering might look like in the near future on a legal level.
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About the Author
As a devout aficionado of sports, Chris Boline has carved a career within the athletic realm. A skilled scribe, he boasts a decade-long portfolio that encompasses coverage of the NBA G League, the Los Angeles Chargers, football and basketball across the country. Beyond his professional pursuits, Chris is deeply invested in his community and dedicates his leisure hours to serving on boards, collaborating with community organizations, and cherishing the company of loved ones. CURRENTLY Business Development and freelance sports writing RESIDES IN Reno, NV EDUCATION University of Nevada BS and MBA EXPERTISE -Sports writing proficiency in: NFL, NBA, UFC, boxing, golf, and some motor sports -Topical news -Promotional and marketing ideas/updates -Business development Summary Chris Boline serves in a business development sales capacity as his day job. He has previously held sales/marketing positions with The Applied Companies (TAC), KTVN 2 News and the NBA G League’s Reno Bighorns, affiliate of the Sacramento Kings. He is a Reno native and is a member of various community boards including the Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, NCET and the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA). Chris graduated from the University of Nevada in 2015 with a bachelors in management and economics and also earned his MBA from Nevada in 2023. More about Chris: Past president of the College of Business Alumni Association (COBAA) 2022-23 Two-time honoree for University of Nevada Alumni Chapter of the Year (Nevada Sagebrush Alumni Chapter, 2017 & COBAA, 2021) 2021 NCET award for Professional Services Organization of the Year with TAC Northern Nevada Human Resources Association 2020 Best Places to Work-Northern Nevada, Second Place with TAC 2016-17 Reno Bighorns MVP from the Sacramento Kings The Nevada Sagebrush editor-in-chief 2013-15 Associated Collegiate Press 2015 Four-year Non-daily Newspaper Pacemaker honoree University of Nevada, Reno College of Business Dean's List honoree (5x) from 2011-2015 Nevada Press Association award for Best Sports Column – Community in 2015 Education
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