Some 177 people have been arrested as a result of state wagering investigations since FGCC was founded.
A relatively new Florida agency has grown a high profile with its focus on illegal wagering in the state.
The Florida Gaming Control Commission (FGCC) is honoring its fourth anniversary this month and officials are marking the hallmark while acknowledging many of the agency’s accomplishments. FGCC Chair Julie Brown who founded the agency said there are many high points that should be celebrated.
“FGCC has made an immediate and dramatic impact,” Brown said. “We are the first statewide law enforcement agency created since 1967, which speaks to the growing threat posed by illegal gambling. This success is due in large part to the outstanding support of Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature. Working together, we are making Florida safer.”
In the four years since its beginning, the FGCC has made dozens of coordinated arrests and seizures in concert with local law enforcement agencies across the state. Some 11,000 illegal slot machines and about $23 million in illegal gambling proceeds were apprehended in the multiple investigations that were launched.
That involved 177 people arrested as a result of those investigations and 184 illegal gambling operations were shut down. An FGCC news release said the illegal gambling probes also led to the seizures of narcotics, illegal firearms, dog betting rings and other crimes associated with the arcades and operations.
“Criminals don’t ever get a free pass in Brevard County,” said Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey. “Our partnership with the Florida Gaming Control Commission sends a clear and resounding message: If you’re operating illegal gambling businesses in our community, we’re coming for you!”
The Division of Pari-Mutuel Wagering is also part of the FGCC and oversees the regulatory compliance of legal gambling in Florida. The division has collected an estimated $3 billion in revenue for licensing pari-mutuel operations such as cardrooms, slots and the gambling operations of the Seminole Tribe in the state. That funding contributes to the state’s education and environmental initiatives.
In 2025, the FGCC confiscated $14.47 million in illegal gambling funds and another 6,725 illegal slot machines from illegal gambling operations, according to a news release issued by the agency. Those figures are significantly higher than in 2024.