US Authorities Clamp Down On Illegal Slot Machines In "Operation Jackpot"
December 7, 2010 9:01 amAround 13 locations were raided and at least 15 people arrested on Monday, as part of a US crackdown on illegal gambling operations, known as “Operation Jackpot.”
The raids were a culmination of a three-month investigation by the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office following several complaints by citizens concerned about gambling activity in the county.
At around 9:15 a.m, more than 150 officers raided several locations across Rockdale County and Clayton County, with the assistance of the FBI, ATF, the U.S. Marshals Service, and Immigration Customs Enforcement.
At the heart of the raids would appear to be the arrest of Larry Lee Simmons, who is believed to be the owner of a gambling machine manufacturing business called All-Star Inc. Simmons is also the owner of The Cedar Room in Riverdale which was also raided.
In total, around four establishments were raided in Rockdale County and a further nine in Clayton County, with Sheriff Kem Kimbrough commenting:
“In this case, we stumbled on a pretty major organization…Turns out these operations are supported by a company that manufactures gambling devices out in Rockdale County…What makes them [gambling machines] illegal is the fact that they are utilized with cash payouts. ”
Hundreds of the electronic poker machines were seized during the raids and Sheriff Kem Kimbrough further noted that All-Star Inc had customers all across the state of Georgia.
In addition to the machines, thousands of dollars in cash was also confiscated with Kem Kimbrough explaining:
“Just in the locations that we raided, we’re talking about $50-60,000 cash. But based upon some of the information that we got from our investigators, we’re talking about upwards of $300,000-400,000 a month.”
Larry Lee Simmons and other men arrested during “Operation Jackpot” now face a whole range of gambling charges, including manufacturing and possession of gambling equipment, as well as keeping a gambling place.