What we know: Investigators raid adult arcades with illegal slots
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Local law enforcement officials have shut down an adult arcade with illegal slot machines.
St. Lucie County sheriff's officials raided Rio Arcade on U.S. 1, just south of Kitterman Road, in Port St. Lucie on Thursday after they executed a search warrant.
Here's what we know so far:
What happened Thursday?
Sheriff Ken Mascara said numerous attempts were made to address the illegal gambling with the owners of Rio Arcade, but they never closed or modified their operation.
Officials expected to seize about 140 slot machines from the arcade as part of the gambling bust. They also expected to seize all the money associated with the machines, but it's unknown how much.
Who was arrested Thursday?
Those who were playing games when deputies arrived, were arrested, Mascara said. Playing the games would result in a misdemeanor gambling charge, and likely would result in a notice to appear in court. It's unknown at this time how many people that included.
Officials expected to make dozens of arrests in connection with the gambling bust, including the owner and manager of Rio Arcade. However, Mascara didn't name them.
In previous raids on adult arcades in Florida, the owners were arrested and faced charges that included racketeering, money laundering, keeping a gambling house and unlawful possession of slot machine devices.
Why is the state cracking down on slots?
Slot machines became illegal as of July 1 last year, except at 15 approved casinos, mainly in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. That’s because the Legislature approved a Gaming Compact with the Seminole Tribe of Florida in May 2021, giving the Native American tribe almost exclusive rights to most gambling activities.
Illegal gambling operations aren’t likely to follow the law, leading to a higher risk of theft, fraud and cheating — with no consumer protections, said Florida Gaming Control Commission Executive Director Lou Trombetta. They also could be run by organized crime syndicates that use the proceeds to fund other criminal activities.
What is legal vs. illegal?
Florida’s Family Amusement Games Act allows arcades that offer video or physical games of skill that allow people who play them to win tokens or tickets to be exchanged for prizes, said commission spokesman Eric Carr. These are the kinds of machines found at Chuck E. Cheese and Dave & Buster’s.
However, Carr said, if the arcade game includes a randomized element — such as a random chance as to which prize players can win, even if the outcome relies on skill — it’s considered a game of chance and is illegal under regulations against slot machines.
Regardless, any type of cash payout is illegal, he said, and most adult arcades have cash payouts.
What happened earlier this year?
On May 9, special agents from the Florida Gaming Control Commission and local law enforcement executed search warrants simultaneously in Fort Pierce, Delray Beach, St. Petersburg and Tampa.
They targeted illegal gambling operations at adult arcades and seized more than $1 million in assets, cash, slot-style gaming machines, computers and ATMs.
The raid resulted in seven arrests and the seizure of 360 slot machines. On the Treasure Coast, it resulted in the permanent closure of Midway Arcade in Fort Pierce.
What happened after the statewide raid?
After the May raid, St. Lucie County sheriff’s deputies went to every known adult arcade location in St. Lucie County to hand-deliver a Jan. 27 warning letter initially mailed to each arcade.
On the Treasure Coast, many arcades in St. Lucie County and some in Indian River County closed out of fear. Martin County doesn’t allow adult arcades.
However, some arcades never closed, and most eventually reopened. It appears only a handful shut down permanently.
State officials said they would continue to monitor those open adult arcades and continue to work with local law enforcement.
Where is gambling legal in Florida?
Legal gaming facilities in Florida include the following:
- Licensed parimutuel facilities with horse racing, harness horse racing, simulcast Greyhound racing, jai alai games and/or card room poker games
- Facilities operated by the Seminole Tribe of Florida and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida
- Bingo, raffles and drawings of chance offered by certain organizations, such as charitable, nonprofit, fraternal and veterans’ organizations exempt from federal taxation
Laurie K. Blandford is TCPalm's entertainment reporter and columnist dedicated to finding the best things to do on the Treasure Coast. Follow her on Twitter @TCPalmLaurie and Facebook @TCPalmLaurie. Email her at laurie.blandford@tcpalm.comprofile.tcpalm.com/newsletters/manage.
