Illegal Gambling Operations in Los Angeles Subject of Recent Raids

Californian authorities have recently been cracking down on illegal gambling operations located in different parts of the state but especially in Southern California. Since the beginning of March, no fewer than three raids have been conducted, resulting in well over 100 arrests made up to this point. The operations that have been targeted are primarily brick-and-mortar facilities, but it is believed that there are also illicit online gambling enterprises housed within the state.

Raids Conducted and Arrests Made

NBC Los Angeles is reporting that the most recent police-led raid happened on Wednesday, April 17 in Santa Ana, which is a suburb of Los Angeles. The targeted enterprise was known as Fantasy Royal Gift Shop.

Despite its name, the shop labeled itself as a cyber café where people could bring their personal laptops and work while enjoying a cup of coffee. This seems normal enough, but when you consider that police seized five gaming machines and arrested five people on gambling-related charges, it is clear that Royal Gift Shop was no normal cyber café.

Police were tipped off by local residents who noted that the business - which was open 24 hours - was a constant center of activity at all times of day and night: something not typical for a cyber café. What’s more, the previous occupant, a marijuana dispensary, was also the center of a lot of police attention before eventually closing its doors permanently.

Last week, police struck another Santa Ana location, the Lucky 999 Cyber Café. The early-morning raid resulted in the seizure of nearly 20 gambling machines and the arrest of more than 20 people.

What’s interesting about this is that police stated that the owners of this particular enterprise made absolutely no attempt at concealing their illegal activities. After all, with a name like “Lucky 999,” the chances of the establishment not being principally for gambling were fairly low.

Not the First Raids this Year

Westminster, California, which is located directly west of Santa Ana, saw a similar raid unfold back at the beginning of March where more than two dozen arrests were made. Rather than targeting a business, this incident saw SWAT teams converge on two separate houses where underground gambling activity was reportedly taking place. In all, 26 people were placed under arrest.

In addition to gambling infractions, police were also able to charge folks with possession of narcotics and weapons. Westminster Police Commander Cord Vandergrift spoke on how, once again, concerned residents tipped police off to the illegal gambling taking place. He said, “It’s activity in and out of the homes, a lot of the times it’s the neighbors that call in and report the activity that leads us to the investigation and starts the investigation for us.”

California Gambling Laws and Calls for Change

If this recent series of police raids on illegal gambling rings tells us anything, it’s that the current structure of gambling in California is not up to the standards of its citizens.

Poker and all sorts of casino-style gambling exists across the state in card rooms and on Native American reservations. Yet with that said, however, you will find that the casino-style gaming (i.e., slots and table games like blackjack) is primarily located a good distance away from major metropolitan areas such as Los Angeles. This inconvenience is exactly why residents are turning to local underground gambling facilities, many of which offer these forbidden temptations.

Because there are so many card rooms in California, poker players are spoilt for choice. In Los Angeles alone, there are multiple “casinos” that offer poker games of all varieties at all hours of the day. While this is all fine and good, you need to head to Native American casinos - most of which are located away from major cities - if you would like the full resort-style casino experience.

Online poker in California is available as well, and this is where the majority of folks who play poker opt to go. While not licensed and legalized by the state, these firms are basically ignored by the authorities perhaps because the chances of successfully prosecuting any of them are next to nil. There are many sites available to players, and the three largest of them are Ignition Casino Poker, Americas Cardroom and Sportsbetting.ag.

California Falling Behind

There have been multiple attempts on the part of lawmakers to change the landscape of gambling in the Golden State, but up till the present, all of them have failed. In fact, more than 10 separate attempts to explicitly legalize and regulate online poker and casino games have come and gone with no positive action taken.

With gambling reform seemingly sweeping across the United States, this heavy-handed crackdown on illegal gambling operations in California raises concerns about why the most populous state in the Union appears to be incapable of delivering the expanded gaming options its citizens demand and deserve.