Florida has continued to crack down on illegal gambling, and although authorities have been vigilant, sprawling operations have continued to abound. One such illegal gambling ring was busted by a police officer recently just outside Orlando.
Illegal Gambling Crackdowns Continue in Florida
Officers descended on the location under the Lake County Sheriff’s Office operation that led to the seizure of $48,200 in cash from gambling proceedings generated from 125 slot machines found at the venue.
The operation, although small in scale, has led to the arrest of three people who were implicated in running the day-to-day management of the gambling venue, and who was subsequently charged with a misdemeanor.
This is hardly the only operation worth noting over the past several weeks. A much larger sting operation took place as part of the humorously dubbed “Fish & Chips” investigation conducted by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.
The operation resulted in the arrest of 12 individuals and conducted a sophisticated operation that targeted 10 venues suspected to be a part of the sprawling illegal gambling network in the first place.
A total of 263 illegal gambling machines were seized and $2.5 million in cash was found on the locations. Another $1.7 million worth of luxury vehicles worth $1.7 million and other assets worth $1.2 million were also seized by the police and investigators.
Volusia and Brevard Counties Casino Raids
Florida’s gambling operations are mostly limited to tribal operations, and since recently, the Hard Rock Bet mobile betting app. However, illegal gambling operations have continued to proliferate.
One of the most recent busts in December 2024 was conducted in Volusia and Brevard Counties, with police authorities going after five illegal gambling casinos they had been tipped about at an earlier time. This was one of the largest hauls recorded by the police as well that year, with more than 500 gambling machines and more than $845,000 seized during the operation.
Earlier in October, Floridan authorities similarly closed in on another operation in Indian River County, which saw 68 illegal slot machines busted along with $37,719 in cash busted. Floridan police remains on the lookout for more such illegal gambling operations, depending on citizen tips and its own undercover agents.
