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Three illegal gambling parlors closed
Message was posted: 12:41 Jul 13th, 2006

User: RickyWalls Rank: Casino Gold: 2984CG Contributor rating: 6320 Status: Offline

Gambling news from http://seguingazette.com/ SEGUIN — The Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office and members of the Texas Department of Public Safety served three search warrants Saturday and seized 177 eight-liners and more than $30,000 in cash. “We started an investigation in April based on complaints there was gambling going on,” said Sheriff’s Investigator Kevin Jordan. Three separate establishments — some of them presumably abandoned buildings or shuttered businesses — were identified during the investigation. Undercover officers, on several occasions, went to these establishments and played the gambling devices and were paid cash prizes based on their winnings, which made it illegal, Jordan alleged. “Two of the businesses had eight-liners, and the third one had eight-liners and actual slot machines,” Jordan alleged. Law enforcement raided locations in the 15900 block of State Highway 123, the 3800 block of FM 621 and the 3000 block of Driebrodt Road. “All of them were very nondescript,” Jordan said. “One of them was a fireworks stand that had burned but was rebuilt part of the way. None of them were marked.” Another of the gambling houses was a restaurant that was closed down, and the third was an old dancehall. None of the buildings had signs and all appeared to be closed, with the exception of the number of vehicles usually seen parked near the establishments, Jordan said. “It all got around by word-of-mouth,” Jordan said. Sheriff Arnold Zwicke said despite the large number of eight-liners seized, he doesn’t believe gambling has a serious foothold in Guadalupe County. “I think this is an isolated problem, more so than an across the county type of deal,” Zwicke said. Eight people were questioned and will be filed on at large for charges of gambling promotion, keeping a gambling place and possession of a gambling device, equipment or paraphernalia. All of the charges are Class A Misdemeanor charges. Jordan said the crime could only be considered a felony if charges of organized crime were filed. “I don’t know if we’ll have that,” he said.