Charges Finally Come Down In Georgia Gambling Raid

Illegal gambling raids have become the norm across the US over the past several months. With many bar and convenience store owners turning to video gambling machines to beat the economy, authorities have been hard at work trying to keep these illegal machines out of their cities and states.

On Friday, July 4th, police in Smyrna, Georgia executed one of these raids on four convenience stores. At the time, the stores were ordered closed and the owners were given ten days to have the slot games removed.

Undercover officers had gone into the stores and received cash payouts for their winnings. Other undercover officers received free Georgia lottery tickets for their wins on the machines. The clerks that handed out the winnings were charged.

"The police around the US have made it very clear that if you are operating these machines in their jurisdiction and the machines are illegal, they will try to stop your operation," said observer Terrence Frantle, "yet store owners continue to try to skirt the law."

The convenience store raids in Smyrna have led to additional criminal investigations. Bootleg CD's and DVD's were found, and charges have now been handed down for those offenses. The owners of the establishments have been charged with criminal reproduction of recorded material for transfer, sale, distribution, and/or circulation.

In the original raids, police confiscated over $56,000 in cash from the four locations. DVD's and CD's were also seized in the process of the investigation.

July 17, 2009
Posted By Terry Goodwin
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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