Two Coffee County, Georgia residents, Gene “Buster” Cauley, 61, and Jennifer Amy Clark, 47, are facing serious gambling charges. They were targeted in a search warrant executed last Wednesday in Douglas, GA, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).
The GBI’s Commercial Gambling Unit, the local Sheriff’s Drug Unit, and the Georgia Lottery Corporation arrested Gene “Buster” Cauley and Jennifer Amy Clark at Bella's Thrifts and Gifts and Swamp Dawg’s Bait, Tackle, and Bow on E. Baker Hwy. They face charges for unauthorized gambling, including operating unlicensed Coin Operated Amusement Machines (COAMS), running commercial gambling ventures, and possessing gambling devices.
The issue is that cash payouts for COAM credits are illegal in Georgia. These machines must be licensed by the Georgia Lottery and can only offer lottery tickets or store merchandise in exchange for credits.
Cauley and Clark are now in Coffee County Jail. The Waycross Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office is preparing to review the case for potential prosecution and penalties.
The GBI is asking for more information from the public and has provided several ways to contact them, including a phone line at 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), an online submission form on their official website, and their "See Something, Send Something" mobile app.
