Sarasota County deputies, backed up by state gaming agents, rolled into a south Sarasota storefront this week and rolled out with a roomful of gambling machines. The spot, known locally as Spin 24/7, saw its gaming floor cleared and its future thrown into doubt as investigators said the operation was part of a broader push against unlicensed arcades and so-called social clubs around the county.
According to Tampa Bay 28, the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, working with the Florida Gaming Control Commission, executed a search warrant at Spin 24/7 and seized 66 slot machines along with cash on site. Deputies identified the two people arrested as Mohamed Belyaqout and Mabielka C. Cumbrera. Investigators say Belyaqout was taken into custody on March 26 at the Spin 24/7 location and Cumbrera was arrested the following day at her Sarasota home. Both were booked into the Sarasota County Correctional Facility on charges that include keeping and maintaining a gambling house and possession of slot machines.
Investigators Say Months of Work Led to the Raid
The sheriff’s office says this week’s takedown did not come out of nowhere. Deputies describe the search at Spin 24/7 as the result of a months-long investigation into several storefront gambling businesses operating across Sarasota County. In similar cases, the sheriff’s office has teamed up with the Florida Gaming Control Commission, typically starting with cease-and-desist letters before moving to full search warrants when operators do not shut down. A January enforcement action that turned up dozens of gambling machines followed that same pattern, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.
Inside Spin 24/7 and the Arrest Sequence
Deputies say Spin 24/7 was operating out of the 5700 block of South Beneva Road, with slot machines lined up in rows that investigators describe as consistent with other illicit casinos they have shut down in the county. The sheriff’s office and local coverage report that investigators also found a cease-and-desist letter dated April 2025 inside the business, along with cash they say was tied to gambling activity. The two suspects now face state charges and the investigation into the operation is still active, according to Tampa Bay 28.
Deputies Have Seen This Before
Spin 24/7 is hardly the first storefront in Sarasota County to lose a floor full of machines. In September 2025, the sheriff’s office and FGCC agents seized 117 slot machines in a raid at the Magic Arcade, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office. Earlier this year, deputies recovered 66 machines during an investigation into the 41 Social Club in Venice, as reported by WWSB. Officials tie these busts together as part of a countywide effort to shut down unlicensed gaming operations that keep popping up in commercial strips.
A Slice of a Bigger Statewide Crackdown
The local actions are part of a much larger push by state regulators. According to iGamingToday, the Florida Gaming Control Commission reported record enforcement numbers in 2025, with millions of dollars seized and thousands of illegal machines removed as state agents worked alongside local law enforcement. Those figures put Sarasota County’s repeated raids into perspective, suggesting that what is happening on South Beneva Road is just one small piece of a statewide campaign.
What Florida Law Says About Slot Machines
Florida does not treat unlicensed gambling as a minor paperwork issue. Under Florida Statutes, Chapter 551, simply possessing a slot machine without the proper state license can bring administrative fines of up to $10,000 per machine. On top of that, the state’s gambling law makes it a crime to keep or maintain a gambling house, as detailed in Florida Statute 849.01, which courts have treated as carrying potential felony exposure in the right circumstances.
The sheriff’s office says the Spin 24/7 case is still very much open, with detectives continuing to process evidence and coordinate with the FGCC. Whether prosecutors ultimately pursue formal charges against Belyaqout and Cumbrera will show up next in local court records.
