Gambling raids in South Carolina and Florida lead to arrests, cash seizures
Ten suspects have been charged and more than $15,000 was seized following a raid on a poker game in Irmo, South Carolina earlier this month.
The arrests were made after police raided an office in Friarsgate centre. Each suspect is scheduled to appear in local court in June.
Adam Watts (28), Gary Watts (67) and Daniel Schaffer (53) were all charged with illegal table games. Seven other participants in the poker game were charged with gambling at the casino.
The raids came after police received a tip that Office Poker was attracting between six and 20 players a night, South Carolina television station WLTX reported. It is said that the organizer of the competition will receive his share of the profits.
"This type of activity violates state law and will not be tolerated in Irmo," Irmo Police Chief Bobby Dyer said in a statement. "We have seen in previous gambling operations that this type of activity was compromised due to the financial greed of some participants. People lost their lives. We will not allow this kind of activity to be part of our community.”
Florida Machine Confiscated
On April 10, police in Bradenton, Florida, searched the Pour Decisions Saloon during an unrelated raid.
Four slot machines were confiscated by Florida officials. These devices are similar to slots.
The raid on the pub followed months of undercover investigation. Based on their findings, a judge issued investigators a search warrant for the location.
As of last week, no managers, employees or customers had been charged in connection with the raids. However, an arrest is possible as the investigation continues, the Bradenton Herald reported.
Under Florida Law, it is illegal to operate slot machines without official permission.
If convicted, owners of companies where such illegal activity occurred could face years in prison. Those convicted could also be fined thousands of dollars for each illegal slot machine on the premises. Players and game operations employees may also be prosecuted.
Previous Arrests
Last July, the Manatee County Sheriff's Office raided the bar following a similar arrest in Florida.
During court-ordered searches, local officials seized 69 slot machines and more than $52,000 in cash.
Some illegal gambling operations have been shut down, according to the Sheriff's Office.
In September, the same Sheriff's Office conducted another raid that resulted in the seizure of 33 slot machines and $15,000. This business was also shut down.
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Source: www.casino.org
