Los Angeles: The Asian Crime Unit, within the Gang Support Section of Gang and Narcotics Division, initiated an illegal gambling investigation in August 2013. The investigation focused on several residences situated within the Korea Town community of Los Angeles that housed illegal gambling equipment, including slot machines and card tables. The residences are privately owned and an onsite “gaming manager” would typically allow members of the public to enter and play, generally from mid-morning to late at night.
A search warrant was secured by investigators, and on September 17th, 2013, approximately 100 officers assigned to Gang and Narcotics Division, augmented by resources from Olympic Division, converged on seven locations in the vicinity of Olympic Boulevard and Normandie Avenue. Warrant service occurred simultaneously at 7:30 AM.
Customers would initially pay the owner $20 and would receive $25 to play with. Minimum bets at this low-stakes gambling operation would be 25 cents with max bets of $5. A typical customer would spend from $40 to $100 stated an informant.
The owner said they didn’t advertise but drew customers by word of mouth and insisted that he had “obtained a special license.” However, the LAPD confirm that no such license exists.
Internet café gambling has also increased due to the ambiguity of laws governing sweepstakes. Traditionally, sweepstakes are defined as winning a promotional prize after making a purchase. Internet café owners argue that they are offering the possibility to win a prize and are selling “Internet time.” However, many state governments say it is no different than regular gambling, since the prize is cash.
California has made a firm stance on the issue. There are only 147 legal casinos in the state, and in Los Angeles County, only eight places are legal. So aside from these places, any other form of casino gambling is illegal.
“In the last two to three years, Internet gambling café has increased rapidly, including Los Angeles,” said Michelle Gregory, a spokeswoman at the California Department of Justice. “We can’t crack down on every place, because of a lack of budget and resources.”
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