Florida Gaming Raid Seizes 163 Slot Machines and $247,285 From Two St. Petersburg Businesses

A September enforcement sweep in St. Petersburg ended with state agents hauling away 163 slot machines and more than $247,000 in cash from two businesses, a sizable seizure in Florida’s continuing campaign against unauthorized gambling operations.

Read more NSW Gambling Authority Sought to Shed Oversight of ClubGrants Pokies Tax Scheme

The raids took place Sept. 10 at Action Arcade, 6541 54th Avenue North, and The Zoo Sports Club and Grille, 5111 66th Street North. The Florida Gaming Control Commission identified the coordinated action as Operation Final Spin.

The numbers suggest operations considerably larger than a handful of gaming terminals tucked inside otherwise conventional businesses.

More Than $142,000 Seized at Action Arcade

At Action Arcade, investigators seized 90 machines along with $142,020 in cash.

Two people received notices to appear. Each faces allegations involving possession of slot machines and keeping a gambling house.

Agents found another 73 machines at The Zoo and confiscated $105,265. One person there was issued a notice to appear over allegations involving possession of slot machines and working as an agent or employee of a gambling house.

Together, authorities reported taking $247,285 from the two locations.

The state did not identify the three people cited in connection with the searches in its announcement, which also did not indicate whether additional charges could follow.

Several Agencies Joined Operation Final Spin

The operation brought together personnel from several state and local agencies.

Florida Gaming Control Commission agents worked alongside the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Highway Patrol and the Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco, which operates within the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

FGCC Vice Chair Tina Repp and state Rep. Berny Jacques also participated in the enforcement action.

Jacques linked the crackdown to the financial harm illegal gambling machines can cause, particularly among older residents living on fixed incomes. Repp placed the St. Petersburg searches within a much wider enforcement campaign, reporting that authorities have already shut down more than 200 illegal arcades around Florida.

Read more F1

Florida Restricts Where Slot Machines Can Operate

Slot machines are not prohibited everywhere in Florida, but the state sharply limits where they can legally operate.

The gaming commission says slot machines are permitted at eight licensed facilities in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, as well as at facilities operated by the Seminole Tribe of Florida. The two St. Petersburg businesses do not fall within the authorized categories identified by the commission.

That distinction has become increasingly important as state authorities target establishments accused of operating machines outside Florida’s regulated gambling system.

The Sept. 10 searches also show how those investigations can affect a business immediately. Investigators did not simply issue citations and leave the equipment in place. They removed the machines and seized the cash discovered while executing the warrants.

Key Questions About the Investigation Remain

The commission’s announcement provides extensive detail about what investigators seized but considerably less about what led them to the two businesses.

It does not explain how long the alleged gambling operations had been running, how much money had moved through the machines or what investigative work preceded the searches.

The people who received notices to appear were not identified in the announcement either.

For now, the clearest measure of Operation Final Spin is sitting in evidence: 163 machines removed from two St. Petersburg locations and $247,285 seized during a single day of enforcement.

Read more Football