Over 180 illegal slot machines seized in Wednesday Florida raids. What to know about gambling

C. A. Bridges, USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida
Updated ·6 min read

There have been a lot of changes in gambling laws in Florida in the last few years, but one thing remains constant: slot machines are illegal unless they're at tribal casinos and pari-mutuels.

That doesn't stop people from trying to use them, though. Local law enforcement has been cracking down on adult arcades (sometimes called internet cafes) because some of the games violated the strict slot machine rules in Florida or offer cash prices, which are illegal.

On Wednesday, the Florida Gaming Control Commission (FGCC) raided two locations, Coff33 Café and the Social Center in White Springs, seizing "approximately 179 suspected illegal gambling devices, computers, ATMs, and an underdetermined amount of cash," according to a release. Five people were arrested for possession of slot machines and keeping a gambling house, the agency said.

Gaming Control Commission Special Agents seized 179 suspected illegal gambling devices and arrested five people at two different locations Wednesday, April 10, 2024.
Gaming Control Commission Special Agents seized 179 suspected illegal gambling devices and arrested five people at two different locations Wednesday, April 10, 2024.

Bradenton Police announced the same day that after a month-long investigation into suspected illegal gambling police and FDLE officers executed a warrant in March and, with help from the Division of Alcohol, Beverage, and Tobacco, seized four "arcade-style video slot machines."

"Operating a slot machine without a Florida Gaming Control Commission-issued license is against the law," the release said. "Business owners could face up to five years in prison and be fined as much as $10,000 per machine for failing to comply with the law."

Bradenton police say they seized four video-style slot machines from the "Pour Decisions" bar in March, 2024.
Bradenton police say they seized four video-style slot machines from the "Pour Decisions" bar in March, 2024.

So, are slot machines legal in Florida or not? It depends on where you're sitting when you hit the slots.

Are slot machines legal in Florida?

Bradenton police say they seized four video-style slot machines from the "Pour Decisions" bar in March, 2024.
Bradenton police say they seized four video-style slot machines from the "Pour Decisions" bar in March, 2024.

As of July 1, 2022, slot machines or anything resembling them became illegal in Florida except for 15 approved casinos, mostly under tribal control.

The Florida Legislature approved a Gaming Compact with the Seminole Tribe of Florida in May 2021, giving the Native American tribe almost exclusive rights to most gambling activities. Any device that appears to be a slot machine at any facility, outside of Broward and Miami-Dade counties or tribal facilities on tribal land, is illegal.

Last year, St. Lucie County deputies descended on the Rio Arcade and seized over 100 machines. In May, special agents from the Florida Gaming Control Commission and local law enforcement cracked down on arcades in Fort Pierce, Delray Beach, St. Petersburg and Tampa, seizing more than $1 million in cash and machines.

"Illegal gambling houses and illicit gaming machines provide zero consumer protections, no guarantee of fair play, do not pay into the EETF and offer no recourse if an operator disappears with their money," the FGCC said in a release.

Not only are slot machines illegal outside of the 125 approved venues, you're not even allowed to own one or even a piece of one.

What are internet cafes?

Florida permits sweepstakes.

Internet cafes advertise themselves as essentially sweepstakes parlors that offer game "promotions." This allows them to try to work around the state's definition of "games of chance," often comparing their electronic games to something closer to McDonald's Monopoly game.

But a 2013 law banned them from using slot-machine-like computer games, the 2021 law banned slot machines entirely, and internet cafes are not permitted to offer cash or gift-card prizes so many have closed down and the ones remaining keep getting shut down by authorities. Many local governments have banned them due to the high rates of illegal activity and crime that often happen in and around them.

Where are slot machines legal in Florida?

Slot machines are permitted only at these 15 venues:

Why are slot machines legal in Miami-Dade and Broward counties?

Because voters voted for them.

Slot machines were authorized in Florida in 1935 but were immediately challenged as being lotteries and illegal under the anti-lottery provision of the 1885 Florida Consitution, according to the Florida Bar. The Florida Supreme Court OKed them but widespread use and a lack of age restrictions prompted then-Governor Fred Cone and the legislature to ban them again in the state two years later, and they remained illegal for the rest of the century.

Bingo was made legal in 1970 and several Native American tribes opened bingo parlors. Disputes over regulatory control led to the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, which gave protected gambling as a way for the tribes to generate revenue.

In 2004, voters approved an amendment that permitted slot machines at certain pari-mutuel facilities in Broward County and Miami-Dade County, but only those that had conducted live races or games in the two years prior. The Florida Legislature expanded the possibility of slot machines to all pari-mutels in the state in 2009.

Then came the Allied Veterans scandal. In March 2013, the non-profit Allied Veterans of the World, which was affiliated with internet cafes in about 50 strip malls around the state, was accused of running a $290 million illegal gambling business with only 2% of the revenue actually going to charities. Some of the people arrested included Jacksonville Fraternal Order of Police President Nelson Cuba and prominent Jacksonville attorney Kelly Mathis, and Lt. Governor Jennifer Carroll resigned because of her connections to the non-profit. Within a month, Gov. Rick Scott and the Florida Legislature rushed to ban machines that simulate slot-like or other casino-type video games.

Slot machines were brought back in the multi-billion dollar gaming compact struck between the Seminole Tribe of Florida and pari-mutuel facilities in 2021, but only for casinos either run by Seminole and Miccosukee tribes or Broward and Miami-Dade County casinos that were grandfathered in from the 2004 amendment.

What forms of gambling are currently legal in Florida?

Broadly speaking, Florida currently allows:

  • Sports betting only on tribal lands and through the Seminole Tribes Hard Rock Bet app (iOS | Android) or the Hard Rock Bet website

  • Some pari-mutuel gambling, including horse racing and cardrooms licensed by the state

  • Casino gambling on lands belonging to the Seminole Tribe of Florida and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida

  • State-run lotteries and interstate games such as the Powerball and Mega Millions

  • Bingo, raffles and drawings of chance if run by a “charitable, nonprofit, or veterans’ organization”

  • Small social games

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Slot machines in Florida: What's legal, what isn't? Here's where