Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced a statewide crackdown on illegal gambling operations.
According to the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, 17 locations were targeted on the Space Coast, where slot machines were often found designed to never pay out.
“These games are rigged,” Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said at the news conference held Friday, Feb 27 in Titusville.
Uthmeier said around 40 unlawful gambling sites were targeted in Volusia, Brevard, Duvall and Flagler counties. In addition to Ivey, Uthmeier was joined by Titusville Police Chief John Lau, and other law enforcement leaders from the region.
Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey joins Attorney General James Uthmeier and other law enforcement officials at a Titusville press conference on illegal gambling crackdowns around the state.
Uthmeier reported law enforcement had seized around 525 machines and $200,000 in cash in statewide sweeps that took place this week.
“This isn’t just bingo or Uno at the dining room table,” Uthmeier said. “These are unlawful sites. They not only suck revenue out of the economy, out of our state, they also facilitate other crime.”
“It is dangerous. It is violent. You almost always see connections to money laundering, to human and drug trafficking,” Uthmeier added.
“You see the volume of evidence that has been seized in these. The team has to go through quite a process… quite a bit of investigative time,” Ivey said.
Julie Brown, chair of the Florida Gaming Control Commission, said these recent law enforcement efforts are serving to protect the integrity of legal gambling in the state.
“Slot machines are illegal in these casinos. They’re not tested, they’re not regulated. They offer no protections to the player or assurances of fair play,” Brown added.
The Florida Gaming Control Commission was created in 2021 after legislation signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Julie Brown and others at the press conference promoted a bill now making its way through the legislature that would see tougher enforcement for gambling in the state.
Senate Bill 1580 would increase criminal penalties for illegal gambling operations, making it a third-degree felony under state statute. Currently illegal gaming operations are only a misdemeanor.
The bill would also create a provision allowing for the destruction of unauthorized slot machines seized in raids as well as create a new state Inspector General position to review investigations
Tyler Vazquez is the Growth and Development Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Vazquez at 321-480-0854 or tvazquez@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @tyler_vazquez.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Florida AG Uthmeier, Brevard Sheriff Ivey announce gambling crackdown