Cape Coral police raided two illegal gambling arcades Wednesday night as part of an ongoing crackdown on unlawful gaming operations in the city.
On Wednesday, police executed two search warrants at 808 SE 47th Street and 3571 Del Prado Boulevard North.
Officers executed search warrants at multiple locations, including Pirate Treasure Arcade. Police say they seized 139 illegal Vegas-style slot machines and nearly $177,000 in cash from the two businesses.
Players were lined up outside while officers—some wearing masks—questioned them. Crews could be seen removing slot machines and loading them into trucks.
“I stepped outside to take a look, and there were a lot of cops in ski masks,” said Joe Hooper, owner of Fat Boys, a business located nearby. “Looked like a SWAT truck out front pulling people up, lining them out in front of the curb.”
Esteban Gonzalez, co-owner of Sunset Martial Arts, says he saw the scene unfold as police entered the building.
“They put everyone in handcuffs and started chopping off cameras and taking all the machines,” Gonzalez said.
Both business owners say they’ve never had issues with the arcade before.
“Never really any trouble with it,” Hooper said. “Just seems like a lot of older people going in to do whatever they do.”
According to Cape Coral Police, these gambling locations often target elderly residents and people on fixed incomes. Officials say illegal machines are commonly linked to other organized crimes, including drug activity and money laundering.
“A lot of these establishments are linked to other organized crimes, to include drug dealing,” Cape Coral Police said. “They prey on individuals that are elderly, individuals that are on a fixed income.”
This is not the first gambling bust in Cape Coral this year. Six similar operations were raided in August. Gonzalez says he wasn’t surprised to see another one shut down.
“I knew it was a matter of time,” Gonzalez said. “They kept kind of shutting down trying to avoid it, because we had seen that they did it to a couple other spots around here.”
Cape Coral Police say they have zero tolerance for illegal gambling operations and want to remind residents that only Seminole Indian tribal casinos are legally authorized to conduct gambling in Florida.
According to police, the investigation is ongoing and charges are expected to be issued as evidence is reviewed and processed.
Nicholas Karsen is a Digital Specialist and has been with WINK News since May 2023.