Illegal Casinos Shut Down Again; Illegal Sales Of Nicotine/Alcohol Also Targeted

Date Added: November 08, 2024 2:50 pm

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 – VSO deputies and detectives took enforcement actions on both issues this week. Florida Gaming Control Commission agents assisted in the operation.

On Thursday, 4 illegal casinos in DeLand and Orange City, including 3 that reopened after getting shut down in the past, were shut down as VSO executed simultaneous search warrants.

A day earlier, 6 smoke shops and convenience stores, including 4 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 casinos

The illegal casino locations shut down Thursday 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 4 locations Thursday evening.

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 on Wednesday. Of those, 6 sold to the underage customer, and 4 were repeat offenders.

The 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 are being forwarded to the State Attorney’s Office. Additionally, the information regarding the violations is being shared with Florida Alcoholic Beverage and Tobacco Division for administrative review.