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2-year investigation shuts down 11 illegal casinos throughout Volusia County

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2-year investigation shuts down 11 illegal casinos throughout Volusia County

Volusia Sheriff’s Office detectives shut down 11 illegal casinos across the county this week, the agency announced Friday.

With help from the Florida Gaming Control Commission, detectives executed 11 simultaneous search warrants at these locations Thursday, in an operation that “seized and disabled about 400 slot machines and about $403,000 in cash,” according to a news release.

“Throughout Volusia County, we have these illegal gambling houses that are popping up all over,” Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood said in a video announcing the operation. “It’s sort of like playing whack-a-mole: We’ll go in with a cease-and-desist order, they’ll temporarily shut down and then change locations and operate in a different venue.”

Illegal gambling: About 40 gambling machines seized in Daytona Beach along with cash, guns, police say

This week’s operation was concluded after two years of investigations, Chitwood added.

Because casinos are regulated in Florida, the sheriff alerted the public that these illegal venues “are stealing your money.”

According to the news release, these locations “tend to target senior citizens with low or fixed incomes. They provide catered meals, so patrons don’t even need to leave to get something to eat. Many believe these illegal gambling operations are no different from the regulated casinos that operate in Florida.”

Detectives also arrested three people for “running an illegal gambling house” and another person for a “warrant for violation of parole.”

Combined with an earlier operation in November 2023, detectives have now seized more than 600 slot machines and more than $1.1 million cash, the sheriff’s office added.

One of the 11 illegal casinos in the investigation “conducted $37 million in slot machine gambling in 2023, resulting in a $5 million profit,” according to the news release.

This money, the agency added, only benefits the venue’s owners, while “taxable revenue from legal slot machines is directed to the Florida Education Enhancement Trust Fund, which supports students through the Bright Futures Program.”

In the video, Chitwood thanked all the VSO and Gaming Commission personnel involved in the operation and called on Florida lawmakers to take a position on the issue.

“The Legislature needs to make a decision: Either make it legal, and regulate it, or shut it down.”

The 11 illegal casinos shut down this week were:

  • Preview Games, 2411 Enterprise Road, Orange City.
  • Winner’s Circle, 1250 S. State Road 15A, DeLand.
  • Cyber Monkey, 350 S. Spring Garden Ave., DeLand.
  • Phoenix 3, 2500 N. Woodland Blvd., DeLand.
  • Comptrek, 2525 N. Woodland Blvd., DeLand.
  • Lucky Seven Arcade, 1720 S. U.S. Highway 17, Pierson.
  • Spin-N-Win, 1464 Ocean Shore Blvd., Ormond Beach.
  • Winners, 1468 Ocean Shore Blvd., Ormond Beach.
  • Lucky Duck, 1376 N. Nova Road, Daytona Beach.
  • Klix Arcade, 1101 Derbyshire Road, Daytona Beach.
  • Jiffy, 986 S. Nova Road, Ormond Beach.
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