Efforts to crack down on illegal gambling continue in Florida, as the state Gaming Control Commission’s top enforcement official admitted the problem was still much larger than they probably knew.
Carl Harold, director of the FGCC’s gaming enforcement division, said they continue to partner with local, state, and federal officials in their enforcement efforts, which “seems to be expanding month by month.”
“There is interest from other law-enforcement agencies in this effort overall,” Harold said Thursday during a commission meeting.
Florida law currently prohibits slot machines outside of eight pari-mutuel facilities and licensed tribal casinos, which has opened an opportunity for so-called slot parlors to operate in locations statewide.
The FGCC and its Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) actively investigate illegal operations throughout Florida. Harold said the DGE dealt with 71 cases last month, which led to the seizure of 346 slot machines and the closure of seven locations that had been operating illegally. The DGE arrested 15 individuals and seized $179,717 in cash.
Commissioner John D’Aquila asked Harold if the agency kept track of how many of those arrested in these seizures were repeat offenders.
“The short answer would be no,” Harold explained. “We have not seen anybody that we have arrested be arrested again. We have seen people with criminal records arrested by other agencies and then they call us.”
Harold admitted that the DGE is beginning to see actual locations that they’ve taken enforcement action against and seized machines reopening in the same location.
The DGE destroyed 71 slot machines last month, he told the five-member Commission.
“This past month we received 314 investigative leads, with 48% of the investigative leads … duplicates of things that happened before and locations that have been reported before,” Harold said.
Harold added that these numbers are evidence that the problem of illegal gambling “is still much larger than we probably know.”
