December 16th, 2010 – by Glen Farmer
Officials in Laurens County stated that 11 businesses in the county have been shut down after a string of gambling raids found a series of illegal video lottery terminals operating in the businesses.
The businesses were investigated after complaints from the community had raised suspicions about the locations. The investigation was launched by Laurens County Sheriff W.A. Harrell and D.A. Craig Fraser.
In the raid, authorities seized vehicles, guns, marijuana, and over $70,000 in cash. One arrest has been made, with approximately 20 more expected to take place.
The raid came after undercover officers had observed that some machines were missing from businesses that had been under investigation. Casino gambling machines were only found in some of the locations.
In Georgia, gambling is almost universally illegal. Casinos are not entitled to operate in a land based environment, while gambling cruises do sale from a pair of cities on the coast.
Online casinos are entitled to operate, as are online poker rooms. There are no laws governing online gambling in the state of Georgia.