Florida Seizes 163 Illegal Slot Machines and $247K in St. Petersburg

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Florida gaming regulators seized 163 illegal slot machines and $247,285 in cash from two St. Petersburg businesses.

The Sept. 10 raids extend a statewide enforcement campaign that the Florida Gaming Control Commission says has already closed more than 200 illegal arcades.

FGCC carried out Operation Final Spin with the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, Florida Highway Patrol and the Department of Business and Professional Regulation’s Division of Alcoholic Beverages and Tobacco.

Agents Seize Machines and Cash From Two Locations

According to the FGCC’s Sept. 15 enforcement announcement, agents executed search warrants at Action Arcade on 54th Avenue North and The Zoo Sports Club and Grille on 66th Street North.

At Action Arcade, investigators seized 90 slot machines and $142,020 in cash. Two people were issued notices to appear, each facing one count of possession of slot machines and one count of keeping a gambling house.

Agents seized another 73 machines and $105,265 from The Zoo. One person received a notice to appear on one count of possession of slot machines and one count of acting as an agent or employee of a gambling house.

The FGCC did not identify the three individuals in its announcement. Notices to appear and charges do not constitute convictions, and the Commission did not announce whether additional charges or enforcement action would follow.

Florida Expands Illegal Gambling Crackdown

FGCC Vice Chair Tina Repp said the St. Petersburg operation forms part of a broader effort to dismantle unlicensed gambling businesses across Florida. “Operation Final Spin and the more than 200 illegal arcades we have shut down before this, should make it clear that our goal is to disrupt and dismantle illegal gaming across the state of Florida”, Repp said.

The latest seizures follow other large enforcement actions targeting unauthorized gaming operations. Florida authorities previously seized 265 illegal gambling machines in Operation Silent Spin, another multi-agency crackdown on unlicensed gambling activity.

State Rep. Berny Jacques, who participated in the latest operation, said illegal machines can particularly affect older residents and people living on fixed incomes. He said removing the 163 machines and nearly $250,000 was intended to protect vulnerable members of the community.

Slot Machines Restricted to Authorized Florida Locations

The FGCC says slot machines are lawful only at eight licensed locations in Miami-Dade and Broward counties and at gaming facilities operated by the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Businesses outside those authorized locations cannot lawfully operate conventional slot machines simply by presenting themselves as arcades or entertainment venues.

The Commission regulates legal gambling in the state while also enforcing prohibitions on unauthorized gaming. Its latest operation illustrates the continuing focus on physical gambling establishments alongside Florida’s separate enforcement activity involving online gambling and sweepstakes products.

No further enforcement steps were announced against Action Arcade or The Zoo beyond the Sept. 10 searches and notices to appear. The cases will now proceed through the applicable legal process while the FGCC continues its wider statewide campaign against illegal gambling operations.

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