Close to a dozen illegal casinos were shut down in Volusia County this week, and here’s why. On Thursday, Volusia sheriff’s detectives, with assistance from agents of the Florida Gaming Control Commission, executed 11 simultaneous search warrants at illegal casinos across Volusia County. Why are we addressing this issue? These illegal casino locations have seen criminal activity ranging from shootings to armed robberies to fatal drug overdoses to burglaries, thefts, and assaults. The casinos also tend to target senior citizens with low or fixed income. They provide catered meals so patrons don’t even need to leave to get something to eat. Many believe these illegal gambling operations are no different from the regulated casinos that operate in Florida. However, in Florida, legal slot machines are heavily regulated. Legal slot machines can be found in eight pari-mutuel facilities in Miami-Dade and Broward counties and facilities operated by the Seminole Tribe of Florida. These legal machines not only have guaranteed minimum pay-outs, but are also subject to safeguards that help ensure fair play. It’s estimated that the illegal slot machines in this investigation were taking more than twice the money from players as compared to legal, state-regulated slot machines. One illegal casino in this investigation conducted $37 million in slot machine gambling in 2023, resulting in a $5 million profit. Revenue and profit from illegal slot machine gambling only benefits the owners of the illegal casinos. On the other hand, taxable revenue from legal slot machines is directed to the Florida Education Enhancement Trust Fund, which supports students through the Bright Futures Program. This investigation also identified a large amount of cash sent from an illegal casino owner in Volusia County to a country that is an internationally recognized state sponsor of terrorist organizations. While no specific use of this money has been proven, this international transfer of funds raises concerns. During Thursday’s search warrants at 11 locations, detectives seized or disabled about 400 slot machines and about $403,000 cash. Three people were arrested for running an illegal gambling house, and one was arrested for a warrant for violation of parole. Combined with an earlier operation in November 2023, detectives have now seized more than 600 slot machines and more than $1.1 million cash. The Sheriff’s Office was assisted in this effort by the Florida Gaming Control Commission, which is responsible for regulating slot machine gambling in Florida. “The Gaming Commission will continue to work with our partners in law enforcement to ensure any illegal gaming offerings are shut down,” said Florida Gaming Control Commission Executive Director Louis Trombetta. Each illegal casino was previously served with legal notices from the Sheriff’s Office and the Gaming Commission, warning them to cease and desist their illegal operations. Sheriff Mike Chitwood thanked all the VSO and Gaming Commission personnel involved in the operation and called on Florida lawmakers to take a position on the issue. “The Legislature needs to make a decision: Either make it legal, and regulate it, or shut it down.” The locations shut down Thursday were: 1. Preview Games, 2411 Enterprise Road, Orange City 2. Winner’s Circle, 1250 S. SR 15A, DeLand 3. Cyber Monkey, 350 S. Spring Garden Ave., DeLand 4. Phoenix 3, 2500 N. Woodland Blvd., DeLand 5. Comptrek, 2525 N. Woodland Blvd., DeLand 6. Lucky Seven Arcade, 1720 S. U.S. Highway 17, Pierson 7. Spin-N-Win, 1464 Ocean Shore Blvd., Ormond Beach 8. Winners, 1468 Ocean Shore Blvd, Ormond Beach 9. Lucky Duck, 1376 N. Nova Road, Daytona Beach 10. Klix Arcade, 1101 Derbyshire Road, Daytona Beach 11. Jiffy, 986 S. Nova Road, Ormond Beach