Florida Raid Seizes 428 Illegal Gambling Machines And $540,000 Cash

Police in Florida, in conjunction with the state’s Gaming Control Commission, have raided five illegal gambling venues, seizing 428 gambling machines, some of which they said had been rigged to return less than 20% of wagered money to players. They also took $540,000 in cash, although the authorities have said no arrests were made. The raid was the latest in a series of operations to crack down on illegal gambling operations in the state.

Florida Gambling

Online casino gaming is not regulated in the state. Nonetheless, many players have turned to offshore casinos that are registered and operate outside Florida’s borders, but still enable Floridians to play for real money in the Sunshine State. According to online gambling expert Alex Hoffmann, slots are among the most popular games at these online casinos.

Slots

They are easy to understand, offer sizable jackpots, and, crucially, they offer provably fair gaming. Reputable sites offer online slots that have been fully and independently audited. Many of the games offer RTPs of over 96%, and blockchain casinos provide provably fair gaming, allowing players to verify the past results of slots and other casino games themselves.

Tribal Casinos

Offline, the state signed an extension to a compact between it and the Seminole Tribe. Currently, virtually all casinos in Florida are tribal casinos, and there are around 8 such venues. However, earlier this year, Governor Ron DeSantis signed an affidavit to allow the state to award licenses to proposed venues more than 15 miles from the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood. There are caveats, however. The Seminole tribe will pay $500m a year to hold exclusive rights to offer craps and roulette.

Gambling Machines

Gambling machines are heavily regulated in the state. They are permitted in tribal casinos, but only a small handful of non-tribal businesses are permitted to offer games of chance. According to the state’s licensing laws, those machines that are permitted must offer a minimum return to player ratio of 85%, and the gaming commission states that most legal venues offer payout rates higher than this, while also warning that unregulated and illegal venues often offer games with much lower percentages.

What Is RTP?

Return To Player ratio, or RTP, is the average amount of money wagered on an individual machine returned to players as winnings. For example, an 85% RTP means that for every $100 wagered by players, $85 is paid out as winnings. This is an average figure, with some players receiving more and some less, on average, but it is meant to limit the amount of money a gambling venue can take from players and ensure a fair gaming experience.

Online, it is common to see RTPs of 96% or even higher. Online casinos have lower overheads than retail and tribal casinos, which means they can afford to pay more money out as winnings.

Modern physical slot machines use random number generators, similar to the software used by online machines. The games themselves may be audited by the licensing commission, and gambling commissions regularly audit sites to ensure that machines meet their published RTPs and that these are above the required minimum.

Crackdown

Florida’s gaming commission has been cracking down on illegal gambling venues in recent months. In April this year, they closed down ten illegal gambling operations in conjunction with multiple law enforcement divisions. In that raid, approximately 100 illegal machines and $60,000 in cash were seized. However, that raid pales in comparison to this month’s raid.

Cape Coral Police and the Florida Gaming Control Commission joined forces to raid six arcades and one home. In doing so, they seized 428 illegal gambling machines and took more than $540,000 in cash. The Cape Coral Police Department said the arcades primarily targeted older people. They also said that the machines did not meet minimum RTP requirements and that many were rigged with return-to-player ratios as low as 18%.

Following the confiscation, however, law enforcement has confirmed they have not made any arrests, but confirmed they have identified a number of people of interest.

There had been raids earlier this month when five locations were closed with nearly 250 machines and $200,000 in cash being seized. Many of these venues have been located in strip malls and have been disguised as entertainment arcades, and according to experts, as soon as one venue closes, another springs up in its place, making it very difficult to make any permanent headway against the perpetrators.

In some cases, venues even reopen following raids, under different names. Venues closed in 2017 raids, for example, have simply reopened with a different name and continued to offer illegal gambling machines.

Pari-Mutuel Alternatives

As well as tribal casinos in the state, there are some pari-mutuel casinos. There are eight such venues, and these can offer slot machines. Players who want to enjoy physical slot machine gaming should stick to licensed casinos and pari-mutuel venues that have licensed machines, to ensure they are playing legitimate games and have a fair chance of winning.

Alternatively, online casinos and slots websites also offer substantial collections of slot games. Whereas physical casinos are limited by floor space, online casinos are only restricted by server space. This means online players can enjoy a large range of different and alternative games, which has proven especially true with the advent and launch of innovative modern games like Crash and Plinko titles.