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3,114 illegal machines and $1.7 million seized. 81 arrests.
That's the result of gambling raids across the state of Florida since the beginning of this year.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier hosted a news conference in Naples on Wednesday to announce the results of "Operation Sunset Stakes", an effort aiming to crack down on illegal gambling in Florida.
The attorney general said 479 illegal slot machines were seized by the Florida Gaming Control Commission over the course of a week in Lee and Collier counties. 11 individuals were arrested as a result of this investigation.
Uthmeier stood along side Collier County Sheriff Kevin Rambosk, Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno, and Florida Gaming Control Commission Chair Julie Brown in Wednesday's conference.
“These illegal casinos fuel larger criminal enterprises that contribute to drug and human trafficking. We will continue working with our law enforcement partners to shut down all illegal gaming operations across the state," Uthmeier said.
Last month, an 89-year-old Cape Coral man was charged with running an alleged gambling arcade known as "Senior Chuckie's. James Leslie Graham was charged with Racketeering (RICO), Money laundering over $100,000 and Maintaining a gambling establishment. 96 illegal gambling machines were previously seized from that business last year.
One of the more high-profile gambling investigations resulted in Racketeering (RICO) and Conspiracy to commit racketeering charges lodged against former Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez last year. He is alleged to have been involved in an illegal gambling enterprise that authorities said generated more than $21 million in revenue.
- Nagesh Rath, Gambling911.com
