TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – Florida’s attorney general says a major crackdown on illegal gambling has led to eleven arrests and hundreds of machines being seized.
During a press conference in Naples on Wednesday, James Uthmeier announced the results of Operation Sunset Stakes alongside the sheriffs of Lee and Collier Counties and the Florida Gaming Control Commission.
County officials say they took 479 illegal gaming machines and nearly $294,000 in suspected illegal proceeds.
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Uthmeier says the reason arrests like these matter is because illegal gambling operations are almost always tied to broader criminal activities.
“In so many of these cases, we connect these illegal operations with illicit money laundering, embezzlement, trafficking, large-scale drug sales, retail theft, you name it,” he said. “There’s almost always a larger criminal network coordinated effort to scam and steal.”
Uthmeier says these scams often target the elderly and the most vulnerable.
He says since the Florida Gaming Commission was formed last year, they’ve seized a total of more than 10,000 illegal slot machines.
In the Big Bend, officials are also cracking down on illegal gambling.
In April, the Florida Gaming Control Commission and local law enforcment raided an internet cafe in Havana for allegedly running an illegal gambling operation. Crews there seized dozens of illegal slot machines.
Also in April, two people in Tallahassee were arrested for running a gambling house at the North Tallahassee Arcade.
During that bust, law enforcement discovered 29 slot machines, more than $17,000 and weapons.
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