TAMPA, Fla. – State authorities in charge of gaming are intensifying their efforts to crack down on unlawful gambling throughout the state.
On Tuesday, the Florida Gaming Control Commission said that it has verified the seizure of over one million dollars in cash and other assets from four unlawful gambling businesses located in the cities of Fort Pierce, Delray Beach, St. Petersburg, and Tampa.
The Florida Gaming Control Commission stated in January that it had received a report from a member of the public regarding an unlawful gaming activity that was taking place in Fort Pierce.
It is stated that earlier investigations revealed that the operator in Fort Pierce was also responsible for illicit gaming activities in the Bay Area.
A guy is seen taking away what is believed to be a slot machine that was used for illegal gaming.
On Tuesday, law enforcement officers in Tampa removed illegal slot machines from the Lucky Game Lounge located on Gunn Highway near Plantation Boulevard. There were as many as 44 of these machines in all.
During this time, authorities in St. Petersburg busted a different operation that was operating out of a business suite in the Twin Brooks Commons strip mall close to the intersection of I-275 and 22nd Avenue South. They removed 103 slot machines from this location.
According to Louis Trombetta, the executive director of the Florida Gaming Control Commission, “the way gambling is set up in the state is that it is essentially prohibited unless it is one of the few exceptions.” This statement was made about the state’s gambling laws.
The Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida and the Seminole Tribe of Florida, both of which are located in Florida and operate certain assets, such as the Seminole Hard Rock, are exempt from this rule.
In addition to that, it encompasses the counties of Miami-Dade and Broward. Within the two counties, there are eight non-tribal enterprises that have been granted licenses to provide slot machines.
These kinds of businesses do not fall under the purview of any of those exclusions. “They simply violate the law,” Trombetta explained.
The confiscated slot machines are being placed onto a truck right now.
Informed by the proprietor of a store located in the same strip mall that employees of the Lucky Game Lounge distributed leaflets in the surrounding area, luring potential customers with the promise of large payouts if they came inside.
A representative of the Florida Gaming Control Commission claims that the operators of the gambling establishment would rig the machines in order to reduce the amount of money players may win once the gambling establishment is crowded with customers.
A guy once won $10,000, but the operator refused to pay out his winnings and kept the money for themselves.
“People are engaging in this activity due to the fact that there is money to be made. “We are working hard to prevent that from taking place,” Trombetta explained.
images show the outside of a building that was seized by the authorities for operating an illegal gambling operation.
