PINE BLUFF - More than a dozen illegal gambling establishments in Jefferson County have been shut down after a three-month investigation carried out by multiple law enforcement agencies, Sheriff Gerald Robinson announced Thursday afternoon.
Twenty-four people were arrested Wednesday and Thursday as part of “Operation Lucky 7’s,” and more are expected, the sheriff said. All face felony charges of operating illegal gambling houses and could face up to 6 years in prison if convicted.
Operation Lucky 7’s waslaunched after multiple complaints from Pine Bluff and Jefferson County residents, many of whom reported 24-hour-a-day traffic at some of the establishments, Robinson said.
Standing in front of one of the confiscated machines displayed in the rotunda of the Jefferson County Courthouse, Robinson said some of those arrested were raking in “millions in profit,” much of which “was being diverted into other criminal enterprises.”
Authorities seized 600 gambling machines and $500,000 during the raids, the sheriff said.
In all, authorities said search warrants were carried out Wednesday at 13 suspected gambling houses in Pine Bluff and Jefferson County. Two residences, one in Little Rock and the other in Hot Springs, were also raided.
Agencies involved in Operation Lucky 7’s included the Pine Bluff Police Department, the Arkansas State Police, the Star City Police Department, the Little Rock Police Department, the Garland County sheriff ’s office, the DeWitt Police Department, the Lincoln County sheriff’s office, the Arkansas County sheriff’s office and Alcohol and Beverage Control.
Robinson said several of the establishments “looked like casinos I have seen in Mississippi and other places.I couldn’t tell the difference between those casinos and the illegal operations we had going on here in Jefferson County.”
Robinson called the operators of the establishments “bold,” adding that one recently gave away a new car valued at $22,000.
“These were not crimes against people, but rather against the economic development of our county,” he said. “They hurt our county and some of our citizens by having these operations here.”
Jefferson County Prosecuting Attorney Kyle Hunter said illegal gambling has been a problem in the area for decades.
“We have fought this before, and we will continue to do so,” Hunter said. “Our goal is to prosecute the people involved and arrest others who have not yet been taken in. Other arrests will come.”
Northwest Arkansas, Pages 9 on 08/23/2013