Search warrants were executed on 8-liner and sweepstakes game room businesses in Brown County on Monday, seizing thousands of dollars of cash and equipment from the businesses according to County Attorney Shane Britton. Involved in the warrant service and the investigation are Brownwood Police Department, Early Police Department, Brown County Sheriff’s Office, the Brown County Attorney’s Office and the Texas Comptroller’s Office.
According to Britton, the warrant service began at approximately 7:00am Monday. It was explained that by serving the warrants early in the day, it was hoped that only the owners would be present.
Early Police Chief David Mercer stated that charges that may be filed would be related to promotion of gambling or possession of gambling paraphernalia. He explained that some of these businesses will not be able to operate because this is their sole income and their equipment was seized and will not be returned. Today’s warrants were issued to game rooms whose sole business was gaming. Convenience stores and other businesses with a few games will be considered at a later date if need be, according to Mercer.
Mercer also said the investigation stemmed from public complainants regarding the businesses such as the businesses appearance being an “eye sore,” residents not wanting the business near their homes, the idea that money is being taken from people on fixed incomes and the question of how can these game rooms be legal if gambling is taking place.
“We’re doing what we think is right for our community,” said Brownwood Chief of Police Mike Corley. “We are responding to the community’s complaints and it is against the law.”
Britton explained that there are many ways gaming can be illegal; however the most common way to tell if a game room is illegal is its payout. In Texas it is illegal to pay cash.
Regarding the question of what makes gaming illegal, Britton stated “It’s a very tough question, but the easiest way to determine it, to determine if it is paying out cash, that is the easiest proof.”
Corley stated that some of the game rooms involved in the investigation had posted proof that cash was being paid out as winnings.
“One of the game rooms we served had a sign stating ‘Maximum payout $1500’ within the business,” said Corley. “That’s easy proof.”
Corley further explained by stating that police follow a simple guideline, “No cash and a payout must be less than 1% of what the customer has spent or it is illegal.”
Mercer stated, “It is almost impossible to run a legal game room like this. Gambling is a hard thing to figure out, but the rule has not changed.” He also stated that the last warrant service on game rooms he remembered was years ago, possibly in the 1990s. “Gambling is a very controversial subject in Texas. If someone wants to operate (a game room), they need to be very specific about the legalities because it is a very complex law.”
Mercer, Corley and Britton agreed that most arrests stemming from the investigation would be class A misdemeanor offenses. They also stated that all agencies agreed to “hit as many as possible” according to what manpower would allow. Corley stated that approximately 20-25 officers were involved in this morning’s operation.
“I’m proud that we got to as many as we did,” said Corley. “Most owners were very cooperative with us.”
Property seized from the game rooms included computers, motherboards of true 8-liner machines, bank records of the businesses, and money on site. Britton stated that some of these businesses had approximately 30 computers and were very sophisticated and that cash confiscated ranged in amounts from $300 to over $7000. Forensic study of the equipment’s payout programming will determine if arrests will be made as a result of the seizures. Britton stated now that the warrants have been served, bank accounts are also being seized in conjunction with the investigation.
According to Britton, the following businesses were served warrants and had property and cash seized:
- The Pink Flamingo, 1404 3rd Street, Brownwood
- Gold Touch Multi-Game Fun Center /Mega Sweepstakes Game Room (the old Catalog Store), 2701 Austin Avenue, Brownwood
- R&F: Rank and File Sweepstakes Game Room, 1419 Austin Avenue, Brownwood
- Rock Solid Game Room, 2325 Belle Plain, Brownwood
- Playback Corner Game Room, 1523 Market Place Blvd., Brownwood
- Friends and Family Game Room, 1500 Beaver Street (pictured at bottom), Brownwood
- Quick Hits Game Room, 310 Carnegie, Brownwood
- The Lucky Leprechaun, 817 Early Blvd., Early
Photos show some of the evidence seized during the search warrant service.
