SHELBY COUNTY, Tenn. — They can be seen in several Shelby County gas stations, but not for much longer, if law enforcement has anything to say about it - casino-style gambling machines.
Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy, alongside members of the West Tennessee Drug Task Force, announced a crackdown on gambling machines in places like gas stations on Wednesday, which are illegal in all circumstances.
The crackdown included announcing that machines had been seized from the initial sweep in five locations, and $15,000 was also recovered.
Mulroy says they’re becoming much less rare than one might think.
“These illegal gambling machines have become increasingly common throughout Shelby County," Mulroy said. "In fact, the Drug Task Force agents found them in around one third of the stores they checked out this week."
According to authorities, they attract further crime such as drugs, robberies and assaults. Locations with such gambling devices have the police called more frequently.
“We began to find a correlation in a lot of these places with violent crime,“ said Johnie Carter, director of the West Tennessee Drug Task Force. “When you bring illegal gambling machines in, it sends a message that you can tolerate other illegal activities.”
There’s also the potential for money laundering, as stores can use the gambling machines to hide other illicit profits. If such stores fail to remove their gambling machines, they risk being shut down entirely.
“The message that needs to go out to Shelby County business owners is this: These machines are illegal. They are clearly illegal,” Mulroy said. “If you continue to operate them, the machines are subject to seizure and you are subject to prosecution.”