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State of Play’s TL;DR
- Florida gaming regulators and law enforcement seized 163 illegal slot machines in a St. Petersburg operation targeting two gambling businesses.
- They also confiscated nearly $250,000 in cash.
Florida gaming regulators and law enforcement say they seized 163 illegal slot machines and nearly $250,000 in cash during a St. Petersburg crackdown dubbed Operation Final Spin.
The action targeted two businesses and led to multiple gambling-related charges.
Florida’s latest enforcement push offers another snapshot of how aggressively the state is targeting illegal gaming rooms. The operation also adds to a broader record the Florida Gaming Control Commission (FGCC) says now includes more than 175 arrests and more than 200 illegal arcades shut down since the agency was created four years ago.
Raids hit two St. Petersburg gambling locations
According to the FGCC, investigators executed search warrants at Action Arcade on 54th Avenue North and The Zoo Sports Club and Grille on 66th Street North. The operation involved the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, the Florida Highway Patrol, and the Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
At Action Arcade, authorities said they found 90 illegal slot machines and about $142,000 in cash. Two people were charged with possession of slot machines and keeping a gambling house.
At The Zoo Sports Club and Grille, officials said they seized 73 illegal slot machines and about $105,000 in cash. One person there was charged with possession of slot machines and being an agent of a gambling house.
FGCC Chair Tina Repp and state Rep. Berny Jacques were present during the enforcement action.
Officials frame operation as part of wider statewide crackdown
Jacques said the machines were built to exploit vulnerable players.
“These machines are designed to take advantage of people, and far too often that means senior citizens living on fixed incomes who can least afford to lose what they have.
“Removing 163 machines and nearly $250,000 in cash from these operators is about protecting the most vulnerable members of our community. Thank you to the work of the Florida Gaming Control Commission and partner law enforcement agencies.”
Repp said the St. Petersburg case fits a larger statewide enforcement strategy.
“Operation Final Spin and the more than 200 illegal arcades we have shut down before this should make it clear that our goal is to disrupt and dismantle illegal gaming across the state of Florida.”
The commission said it has stepped up illegal gaming investigations in recent years. In 2025 alone, the agency reported confiscating $14.47 million in illegal gambling funds and 6,725 illegal slot machines.
Based on reporting by Drew Dixon for Florida Politics.
