Florida authorities seize over 250 illegal gambling machines, $120K in Operation Silent Spin

BRADENTON, Fla. - The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office announced the dismantling of three illegal gambling arcades last week in partnership with the Florida Gaming Control Commission (FGCC) and Homeland Security Investigations.

By the numbers:

Operation Silent Spin resulted in the following seizures:

• 155 illegal slot machines and $78,483 from Spin City Arcade
• 61 illegal slot machines and $24,157 from an unnamed arcade
• 49 illegal slot machines and $18,157 from Mike’s Arcade

What they're saying:

"These illegal gambling businesses are not harmless storefront operations. They attract crime, generate illicit cash economies, and create serious public safety risks for surrounding communities," said L. Carl Herold, director of gaming enforcement for the FGCC.

The FGCC wanted to emphasize how dangerous illegal gambling rings can be. Underground gambling operations are often associated with large amounts of cash, limited security, weapons, drugs, trafficking and predatory schemes targeting unsuspecting patrons.

"Operation Silent Spin sends a clear message: if you are operating illegal gambling in Florida, we are coming for your machines, your money, and your criminal enterprise," said Herold. "As illegal gambling activity continues to grow statewide, including in southwest Florida, the FGCC remains committed to aggressively dismantling these operations before they evolve into larger organized criminal networks."

Alana Zimmer, executive director of the FGCC, issued a direct warning to operators of similar establishments.

"You will get caught, and we will shut you down," Zimmer said. "Although it might seem like an easy buck right now, we're going to continue to come after them with everything that we have."

"We have legal slot facilities. Our slot facilities, our casinos, those are in Broward and Miami-Dade counties. We have places where people can do this legally, and we certainly want people to be able to enjoy legal gambling. You have no security around your outcomes when you go to these illegal places," Zimmer said. "If you have loved ones who are retired or people who are enjoying these places, just watch out for them. Take a look, find out where are they going, what they’re doing. Because so many times these people are really just fooled into thinking, ‘This is fine. It's benign. There's no big deal. We’re just trying to have fun,’ but there’s always so much more crime associated. It's more than just the illegal gambling that goes with it." 

The FGCC says the crackdown comes after growing public safety concerns around illegal gambling arcades across the state. In April, there was a shooting and an armed robbery at Mega Arcade in Bradenton. It has since been shut down. Deputies arrested the suspect earlier this month. The victim survived, but was seriously injured.

 "We are seeing a lot of dangers that go along with this," Zimmer said, citing a connection between illegal gambling and weapons, shootings, human trafficking, money laundering, drugs and other crimes.

"A game of whack-a-mole"

Despite the recent success, Zimmer said it can be a game of whack-a-mole. Many penalties, she said, are currently classified as misdemeanors, so operators often view the risk of being shut down as merely the cost of doing business, frequently reopening under new names or at different addresses.

To combat this, the FGCC is focusing on the distributors and larger organized groups behind the arcades to build stronger criminal cases.

What we don't know:

While multiple criminal charges have been filed in connection with Operation Silent Spin, it is unclear how many people were arrested in the illegal gambling operation.

What's next:

The FGCC said any concerns about illegal gambling activities or facilities in Florida can be reported online here, or by emailing Tipline@FlGaming.gov.

The commission has also requested funding from state lawmakers for two new gaming enforcement squads. These teams would be dedicated to addressing the growth of illegal gambling, which Zimmer said is particularly prevalent in Manatee and Lee counties.

BradentonCrime and Public Safety