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Sheriff officials say Westside Task Force has seized machines, pursued illegal gaming operations
Summary
Officials reported enforcement at 24 locations targeting illegal preview-game operations and gambling houses; hundreds of machines, CPUs and large ATM cash seizures were described, and the office is coordinating with the Florida Gaming Commission and county counsel to close statutory loopholes.
Officials told the City of DeBary briefing that the Westside Task Force has worked roughly two dozen locations targeting illegal gaming operations, including preview-game terminals at gas stations and larger gambling houses with multiple machines.
"We've seized hundreds of machines, hundreds of computer CPUs, and a few $100,000 from their ATMs and those machines," a presenter said, and officials confirmed an ongoing case involving the Florida Gaming Commission to pursue proceeds and equipment. The sheriff's office said it is consulting the county legal adviser and county council to pursue statutory changes to close loopholes that allow such operations to restart.
Staff described the typical reporting channel: press outreach and community tips lead investigators to locations; residents and patrons often contact the office after seeing press reports of raid activity. Officials also said online and social-media claims by operators (for example, sending proceeds to overseas charities) were implausible and receiving scrutiny in investigations.
The briefing noted parallel enforcement work on vape- and tobacco-related complaints and said the task force will continue investigative and legal work with state partners.
