The Volusia Sheriff’s Office announced that it’d executed search warrants on eleven illegal gambling casinos simultaneously last week. The operations were described as having been set up to resemble legal casinos within state regulations, but which are actually designed to target vulnerable individuals.
Specifically, the VSO says these casinos are engineered to appeal to senior citizens on low or fixed incomes. They allegedly keep participants in the establishment by providing catered meals. It can be hard to discern illegal gambling casinos from legal ones, the VSO says, but slot machines in Florida are subject to strict regulations to ensure they’re being operated according to state law.
The main difference that makes the illegal slot machines a threat to the community, according to the VSO, is that they garner up to twice as much money from their participants as machines which adhere to state laws. Legal machines are coded to have guaranteed minimum payouts, and regulated to make sure players are not being subjected to predatory gaming practices.
One of the illegal casinos the VSO inspected reportedly turned a profit of $5 million in 2023, which allegedly flowed directly to the pockets of the operation’s owners. Legal and regulated slot machines are taxed, which channels funds to the Florida Education Trust Fund which helps fund educational costs through the Bright Futures Program.
Between this newest raid and another one back in November, the VSO has seized over 600 slot machines and over $1.1 million in chas, according to the agency’s statement on the investigation. They had assistance from agents working for the Florida Gaming Control Commission. “The Gaming Commission will continue to work with our partners in law enforcement to ensure any illegal gaming offerings are shut down,” said Florida Gaming Control Commission Executive Director Louis Trombetta.
Each of the casinos hit by the VSO and GCC were served legal notices warning them to cease and desist their alleged illegal gambling operations immediately. Beyond, Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood called upon the Florida state legislature to pass laws that better address the issue of illegal gambling in Florida. “The Legislature needs to make a decision,” Chitwood said. “Either make it legal, and regulate it, or shut it down.”
The locations who were hit in this latest sting are as follows, according to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office:
- Comptrek (2525 N. Woodland Blvd, DeLand)
- Cyber Monkey (350 S. Spring Garden Ave, DeLand)
- Jiffy (986 S. Nova Rd, Ormond Beach)
- Klix Arcade (1101 Derbyshire Rd, Daytona Beach)
- Lucky Duck (1376 Nova Rd, Daytona Beach)
- Lucky Seven Arcade (1720 S. US-17, Pierson)
- Phoenix 3 (2500 N. Woodland Blvd, DeLand)
- Preview Games (2411 Enterprise Rd, Orange City)
- Spin-N-Win (1464 Ocean Shore Blvd, Ormond Beach)
- Winners (1468 Ocean Shore Blvd, Ormond Beach)
- Winner’s Circle (1250 S. SR-15A, DeLand)
