Machines Seized In Florida

Illegal Gambling Machines Seized In Florida

North Florida has been a common target for the FGCC, with officials taking over and seizing several illegitimate gaming machines from various gas stations across several counties. The operations which were conducted this week came to a climax, The effected parties arrested while more than seventeen thousand, seven hundred US dollars were recovered from the twenty one Illegal gambling devices such as slot machines and coin pushers.

The FGCC, with the help of the Tallahassee Police Department, selected ten gas stations in Leon, Jefferson and Wakulla counties as their victims. Out of these places, eight were found in Leon County indicating a high level of the illicit business in the region. The actions of the commission are evident to mean that the commission supports the legal advise of gambling laws in Florida and the protection of legal gambling activities in the state.

According to an interview with Lou Trombetta, the FGCC’s executive director, the threat of illegal gambling to the state is enormous. He said, ‘This is a menace that affects our Florida societies, and anybody who decides to help small businesses operate slot machines in the country is fully aware that this is something unlawful.’ Trombetta went on to point out that the law also prohibits slot machine gambling operations in any establishment in Florida, including bars, restaurants, gas stations and what he called ‘illicit casinos’.

It singles out Florida’s harsh gambling policy as a reminder to those who could have forgotten. Properly state law only allows gambling machines in its legal gaming facilities only. Games of chance like slot machines are legal only in eight licensed pari-mutuel establishments in Miami-Dade and Broward counties and in some facilities owned by the Seminole Tribe of Florida. On the government’s website FLGaming.gov/locations, the FGCC has created a map for people to refer to and see where it is legal to gamble, and where it is not.

The activities of the commission have a number of implications for persons who are convicted of being in violation of lawful provisions that ban gambling. People who possess slot machines but do not have a license can be given administrative fines or civil penalties that may be up to $10,000 per slot machine. Furthermore, occupational licenses of persons who are convicted of violating gambling laws include business permits, liquor permits can also be liable to suspension.

This operation is in line with the continuos efforts of the FGCC to uphold and maintain the sanctity of gambling activities in Florida through the right regulation and licensing, decent criminal investigation as well as enforcement. The commission also advises the public to forward any information which they have regarding unlawful gambling related activities or facilities in Florida by either by filling a report online, via an email or by phoning their hot line.

The recent crack down has led to debates on the proliferation of illegality gambling in Florida as well as the fight posed by authorities in the attempt to counter such cases. Some of the local business people have been shocked to hear the magnitude of the illicit business while others have applauded efforts by the FGCC to ensure that legal businesses receive a fair competition from the illicit ones.

Even as more arrests are in the offing, the actions of the FGCC have sent a strong warning signal to others willing to indulge in the vice through gambling. The commission’s approach to what it does is also preventive, focusing not only on present illicit conduct but also intended to prevent future violations of Florida gambling laws.

This affects more beyond the seizures and arrests that have been made as will be seen in the subsequent sections. This shows that there is still much awareness about gambling laws that need to be passed in Florida. Small business people that deal in gambling activities are also being advised to learn the legalities of gambling since they are actually participating in an unlawful activity.

Since more and more new forms of legal and illegal gambling appear in Florida, roles like this one of FGCC are extremely important to keep the state’s gaming sector as transparent as possible. As the number of countries and states legalizing gambling increases with the new legislation of over-the-internet sports betting, the touchpoint between legal and unlawful gambling is significant to determine by the owners of these activities and the subscribers.

But the action of the FGCC is an important reminder that, as diverse as the gambling industry of the state is, Florida will keep a close eye on the regulation of gambling in the state as well as the conduct of games and gambling operations, to make sure that these are legal and properly regulated.

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