An illegal gambling den hidden in plain sight within a busy south-San Antonio strip mall was busted this Tuesday afternoon, resulting in 22 detentions, as reported by the Bexar County Sheriff's Office. Sheriff Javier Salazar revealed that the operation was somewhat sophisticated in that it was split between two adjacent businesses—one housing the gambling machines and another serving as the cash-out point for players' winnings, effectively skirting the law which prohibits such payouts. Deputies rounded up 18 individuals who were gambling and four employees during the raid, according to KTSA News.
The sheriff clarified the disparity in charges between patrons and staff: those caught in the act of gambling are facing Class C misdemeanor charges, which typically warrant citations, while the staff could be up against heavier charges related to maintaining and promoting the illegal gambling operations. An additional weight of suspicion is being explored regarding organized crime involvement, Salazar said "they will likely seize the cash found on the premises adding it’s unclear how much money is there as deputies were still searching the businesses,” as stated in the KTSA News report.
It appears the subterfuge was not enough to shield the operation from the law. Sheriff Salazar zeroed in on the token system, indicating that the illegal nature of the business was rooted in redemptions made at the second business. "You play over here, but you don’t receive the payment over here. They give you some sort of token to go to the next business and redeem that token for cash payment—that’s what makes it illegal," Salazar outlined, in a statement obtained by KENS 5.
Further underpinning the illicit nature of the establishment, one person detained was found with a felony amount of narcotics, highlighting the potential overlap of drug offenses with illegal gambling operations. Salazar emphasized the inherent risks to patrons of such establishments: “Engaging in the gambling itself could be illegal depending on how they’re paying out. My best advice is: Don’t come to these places at all, because you just don’t know,” he warned the public in an interview with KENS 5. The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office asks for community patience as they continue to delve into the investigation and operation's history within the community.
