The Florida Gaming Control Commission recently testified that existing statutory classifications and penalties for illegal gaming offenses are insufficient checks on illegal gaming
The Florida Gaming Control Commission recently testified that existing statutory classifications and penalties for illegal gaming offenses are insufficient checks on illegal gaming.
In testimony before the Florida of House Representatives’ Industries & Professional Activities Subcommittee, acting FGCC Executive Director Ross Marshman said, “there’s only so much money to go around.”
“If a dollar does not go to a licensed facility or a tribal facility, it’s going into a criminal’s pocket,” Marshman added. “It’s as simple as that.”
Lawful gaming in Florida includes licensed pari-mutuel facilities, cardrooms and slot facilities, in addition to tribal gaming operations.
“Everyone’s experience with [illegal gaming] is negative,” Marshman said.
In addition to Marshman, the panelists included State Attorney for the Fifth Judicial Circuit Bill Gladson; Assistant State Attorney for the Second Judicial Circuit Sara Hassler; Homeland Security Division of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Chief Ed Cayenne; Investigative Services of the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office Chief Dan Singleton; and Special Investigations Bureau of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office Captain Shawn Vance.
“There is zero disincentive for these establishments to close down due to the misdemeanors that they face,” Cayenne said. “They are willing to pay the fines and continue the operations because they are so profitable.”
Cayenne added that Operation Fish & Chips resulted in the arrests of 14 people and seizure of more than $2.5 million in cash, 14 vehicles and 52 firearms. More than 25 aggravated assaults, five robberies and two homicides occurred during the investigation,
“These particular facilities are introducing firearms into our communities that are already seriously racked with gun crime and violent crime and gang violence,” Hassler said. “In addition, these facilities are havens for collateral crime like prostitution and drug sales.”
A release from the FGCC stated that even though illegal casinos are a concern for law enforcement partners and prosecutors, other forms of illegal and unregulated gambling also are being investigated in the state. This includes illegal online activity and unauthorized horse racing events and related illegal wagering.
“It’s a very target-rich environment,” Vance said. “Undercover detectives have observed narcotics transactions, we have responded to robberies, we’ve responded and offered little help to patrons who are reporting theft or fraud when they’re not getting payouts from the game room operators. We’ve also witnessed and had a lot of complaints about human trafficking, specifically prostitution.”
“When we do execute search warrants, we have employees running out the back doors with bags of cash,” Singleton said. “I don’t know of any other legitimate business that during normal business hours, when a law enforcement officer comes to the front door, you have an employee flee out the back with a bag of cash.”
The Florida Gaming Control Commission was created in 2021 is responsible for exercising all regulatory and executive powers of the state in respect to legal gaming, including pari-mutuel wagering, cardrooms, slot machine facilities, oversight of gaming compacts and other forms of gambling, excluding the lottery, as well as directly enforcing Florida’s gaming laws and combatting illegal gambling activities.
https://cdcgaming.com/florida-gaming-commission-panelists-testify-before-house-of-representatives/