Michigan State Officials Seize 56 More Devices From Illegal Gambling Locations

Michigan state investigators are cracking down on illegal gambling. Last month, state officials raided four more stores located in southeast Michigan that were offering illegal gambling for patrons.

The Michigan Gaming Control Board, with the help of state law enforcement officers, seized 56 gambling machines and over $12,700 in cash generated from illegal gambling.

The seizures took place over two days, September 28th and September 29th.

The crackdown by the Michigan Gaming Control Board (MGCB) comes as no surprise. Just last month, the MGCB charged two groups of individuals connected to illegal casino operations. 

According to an article shared by the MGCB, the commission received several individual tips leading to joint investigations by the Michigan Department of Attorney General and the MGCB.

MGCB then worked with the Allen Park Police Department, the Redford Township Police Department, and Michigan State Police to execute the search warrants. 

Suspicious activity?

According to MGCB executive director Henry Williams, more people are reporting suspicious gambling activity. “We’ve seen an increasing number of complaints about alleged illegal gambling, and we appreciate the help received from citizens who call our tip line at 888-314-2682,” said Williams. “The MGCB works closely with local law enforcement agencies to investigate alleged illegal gambling locations, which do not provide the protections associated with legal, regulated gaming and can bring unwanted crime to neighborhoods.” 

As Williams said, businesses with illegal gambling operations only hurt the public. Customers using these machines are not protected (legally speaking) as they are when visiting a regulated, licensed casino. 

Redford Township, Taylor, and Ecorse Gas Station Seizures

Four businesses were raided during the investigations by MGCB. Three of the locations were gas stations in Redford Township, Taylor, and Ecorse, Michigan. State Investigators removed one gaming machine from each of the gas stations. The locations of the businesses are listed below:

• 25845 Eight Mile Road, Redford Township, MI
• 8808 Pelham Road, Taylor, MI
• 19350 Ecorse Road, Allen Park, MI

Mundy Township Storefront

The Hot Spot, located at 5542 Fenton Road, had the largest inventory of illegal gambling devices when Michigan authorities raided the business in September.

Michigan law enforcement seized 53 alleged illegal gambling devices from the business. The search also resulted in officials seizing over $9,100 in alleged gambling-related cash. The Mundy Township location sold overpriced food and drinks that allegedly awarded customers with free “promotional” games on their gambling devices. The Mundy location allegedly had a variety of gambling devices, including coin pushers and slot-style games.

The raid marks the fourth illegal gambling case in Genesee County this year. In Genesse County alone, Michigan officials have seized more than 255 illegal gambling devices from the four searches just in 2022. Below are the locations of the businesses raided this year in Genesse County:

• August 18th – MGCB raided The Cellular Vault (3301 Corunna Road, Flint) and Cellular Bank (4622 N. Saginaw Road, Midland)
• April 27th – MGCB raided The State Road Spot (723 S. State Road, Davison) and The Bristol Spot (1374 E. Bristol Road, Burton)
• In early 2022, MGCB raided Motorcity Jackpott’s (2167 W. Vienna Road, Clio) 

State officials have yet to announce any criminal charges against the operators of either the Mundy location or the three gas stations.

“The Michigan Gaming Control Board works closely with police agencies and the Attorney General’s office to find and eliminate illegal gambling operations and the unwanted crime they bring,” says Williams. “We encourage citizens to report any suspicious activity or illegal gambling by calling the MGCB’s 24-hour anonymous tip line, 888-314-2682, and help us stop illegal gambling in Michigan,” said Williams.

For more information about illegal gaming machines visit, https://www.michigan.gov/mgcb/-/media/Project/Websites/mgcb/Home-Page-Resources/Fact_Sheet-Unregulated_Gaming_Machines_745571_7.pdf?rev=241ed47602e34bb3b4b295116331c563&hash=D033FBEA4263F7E6AB30EDB67B933812

Mac Daniel is a Michigan native and freelance writer for PlayOnlineCasino and PlayOnlineSportsBetting. He has experience writing about a wide variety of topics, including healthcare, tourism, non-profit organizations, and most recently casino and sportsbetting news. To check out more of his work, visit: playonlinemichigan.com