Florida’s top gambling regulator wants tougher penalties for owning illegal slot machines.
Florida Gaming Control Commission head Alana Zimmer said the criminal penalty right now for hosting illegal slot machines is only a misdemeanor, so once an operation is shut down, another one opens right back up.
“It’s much more severe than a misdemeanor,” Zimmer said. “A lot of times these will even get dismissed because they’re misdemeanors. A lot of times, people won’t want to prosecute them because of crimes that they deem more serious.
