![\"Poly](\"https:\/\/readwrite.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Auberndale-illegal-gambling-raid-e1756979790174-300x169.jpg\")
<\/div>\nPolk County Sheriff’s Department and Auburndale Police Department have joined forces to search Florida stores for illegal gambling machines.<\/p>\n
In a video shared to Facebook by the Polk County Sheriff’s Department<\/a>, Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd described more evidence being seized after the two law enforcement agencies raided 11 stores as part of an undercover illegal gambling investigation.<\/p>\n The video shows officers loading gambling machines, presumably found to be illegally operating, onto a truck. The search appears to have taken place at an unrelated business, with a sign in the background suggesting it’s some sort of deli or eatery. A news conference with more information on the operation and the wider efforts to prevent illegal gambling will be held at 1 pm on Thursday, September 4.<\/p>\n Sheriff Judd said that the operation was part of a joint operation between Polk County Sheriff’s Department and Auburndale Police Department. Auburndale is a city within Poly County, Florida.<\/p>\n “This is what happens when law enforcement agencies partner up,” said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. “Good things happen, bad guys go to jail.”<\/p>\n Last month, nearly 250 illegal slot machines were seized<\/a> in another team-up effort between the Florida Gaming Control Commission (FGCC) and the Port Richey and New Port Richey police departments, highlighting the importance of inter-agency cooperation once again. The operation spread across five locations and marked a wider crackdown on illegal games across the country.<\/p>\n A similar operation took place in San Francisco<\/a>, while recent data showed that illegal wagering takes up nearly a third of the US market<\/a>. That’s estimated to cost the US $15.3 billion a year in taxes, with offshore platforms getting a total turnover of $53.9 billion, but also exposes users to greater risk of fraud, theft, and gambling-related harm.<\/p>\n Featured image: Polk County Sheriff’s Department<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n The post Florida police departments team up to raid 11 stores for illegal gambling machines<\/a> appeared first on ReadWrite<\/a>.<\/p>\nIllegal gambling in Florida and across the US<\/span><\/h2>\n