Two casinos based in Fort Myers, Florida, were raided on Wednesday in a joint police affair that saw 134 slot machines and “over $22,000” seized.
The two businesses, Royal Arcade and Spinners Arcade, were operating machines that are illegal within the state of Florida. Royal Arcade lost 72 machines, as well as $3,100.
It also saw the arrest of an employee, Sonia Pimentel. She was released from jail on November 5.
Spinners Arcade lost 62 machines and $19,858 in cash. According to online searches, both businesses appear to still be open.
This is the second major raid in weeks for the Lee County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO), with the last one seeing a seizure of 111 machines and $36,888 in cash.
In September, police also raided another two illegal gambling spots in Fort Myers with the help of the LCSO.
Florida law enforcement respond to gambling raids
Quoted on the Facebook video post that LCSO used to announce the success of the raids, Sheriff Carmine Marceno said:
“These illegal arcades poison our neighborhoods and only invite more crime,” said Sheriff Carmine Marceno. “My priority is keeping our community safe — and that means shutting down every operation that profits off illegal gambling.”
Florida Gaming Control Commission Executive Director Alana Zimmer added:
“We thank the Lee County Sheriff’s Office for partnering with the Florida Gaming Control Commission to close these illegal gaming establishments in our state.
“We are giving notice to those who want to operate illegal gaming facilities that we will find you and close you down.”
Florida law enforcement has increased the number of raids on businesses it suspects of housing illegal machines. As previously mentioned, we only reported on the LCSO raiding other businesses back in October.
Outside of the LCSO’s range, Cape Coral and St. Petersburg law enforcement have both enacted raids in recent weeks and months. Hundreds of machines have now been seized as Florida continues its crackdown.
Featured image: LCSO
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