Illegal Central Florida casinos were shut down again, and illegal sales of nicotine and alcohol at other locations were also targeted.
In response to community complaints about two ongoing violations of Florida law – illegal “Internet café” casinos and illegal sales of nicotine, vapes, and alcohol to underage buyers – Volusia County Sheriff’s office deputies and detectives took enforcement actions on both issues. Florida Gaming Control Commission agents assisted in the operation.
This month, four illegal casinos in DeLand and Orange City, including three that reopened after getting shut down in the past, were shut down as VSO executed simultaneous search warrants.
Six smoke shops and convenience stores, including four repeat violators, were cited for selling nicotine or alcohol to an underage buyer.
“Businesses can follow the law, or they can accept the consequences,” Sheriff Mike Chitwood said. “We’re not going to stop enforcing the law just because certain businesses want to ignore it.”
Illegal Central Florida casinos:
The illegal casino locations shut down were Preview Games in Orange City and Comptrek, Cyber Monkey, and Smash Monkey in DeLand. Smash Monkey is the same illegal casino wherein VSO deputies recently tracked down a fraud suspect accused of stealing tens of thousands of dollars from a senior couple. The suspect was gambling on one of the electronic casino games when she was arrested.
In total, detectives seized more than 100 illegal casino machines and more than $114,000 cash from the four locations.
Two employees at Preview Games, both of whom were working at the location during a previous VSO search warrant and shutdown in July, were arrested on charges of acting as an employee of an illegal gambling house and permitting the operation of slot machines. The charges are second-degree misdemeanors.
“Illegal gambling is a serious issue, and we are grateful to partner with the Volusia Sheriff’s Office and to support Sheriff Chitwood and his team in shutting these locations down,” said Lou Trombetta, Executive Director of the Florida Gaming Control Commission.
“Legal gaming is strictly regulated in Florida to provide player protections, combat illegal activity, generate state revenue, and foster game integrity. We will continue to address illicit gambling to protect citizens and communities, and we appreciate continued reports about any suspicion of illegal gambling operations and facilities.”
Illegal sales of nicotine and alcohol:
An undercover, underage buyer attempted to purchase alcohol or nicotine products at 12 stores. Of those, six sold to the underage customer, and four were repeat offenders.
According to local law enforcement, the recent violations occurred at:
1. Edgewater Smoke Shop (repeat violator) – 810 Indian River Blvd., Edgewater
2. Sunoco gas station (repeat violator) – 201 Commonwealth Blvd., Port Orange
3. GreenAid Smoke Shop (repeat violator) – 3813 Clyde Morris Blvd., Port Orange
4. Galaxy 2 Smoke Shop (repeat violator) – 122 Nova Road, Ormond Beach
5. BP gas station – 751 Sugar Mill Drive, New Smyrna Beach
6. Mobil gas station – 5 S. Yonge St., Ormond Beach
Criminal charges in each of these cases were forwarded to the State Attorney’s Office. Additionally, the information regarding the violations was being shared with Florida Alcoholic Beverage and Tobacco Division for administrative review, according to local law enforcement.
