Since the pandemic, there has been a marked increase in new arcades springing up in strip malls or in vacant stores throughout the state, although exactly why is unclear. Nor is it clear how many such operations currently exist in Florida.<\/p>\n
\n
The Seminoles have long complained that the state doesn’t do enough to combat gambling operations that it believes transgresses its exclusivity on casino gaming. Until the creation of the FGCC in 2021 as a condition of a compact with the Seminoles, no state agency was dedicated to monitoring and enforcing the law against illegal slots operations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Last July, the state budget began allocating funding for the commission. Trombetta said he’s currently recruiting 15 law enforcement officers who will focus on shutting down illegal machines in coordination with local agencies. The FGCC website has also begun to collect consumer complaints about the operations.<\/p>\n
“They don\u2019t play by the same rules,\u201d<\/strong> Trombetta said of the illegal operators. \u201cIt\u2019s very unfair to the good players in the business.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\nHe noted that, unlike legal operations, the arcades lack consumer protections, including rules about mandatory payout percentages, which is a minimum of 85% in Florida. Moreover, they may not pay state taxes and could be contributing to organized crime, he warned.<\/p>\n