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Read Full BioPolice in Buenos Aires, Argentina, say they have carried out a raid on an illegal casino where they seized firearms and almost $1.5 million worth of cash.
Per a report from Noticias Argentinas, officers have charged a Paraguayan citizen with organizing illegal gambling games in an underground gambling center and the unlawful possession of a firearm.
Illegal Casino Raid: Buenos Aires Police Confiscate Guns and Cash
Police said they raided the den during an evening gambling session. They said they found 27 people playing cards and dice during their operation at a residential address in the district of Villa Lugano.
The operation was the brainchild of the Buenos Aires Prosecutor’s Office Contraventional Conduct and Misdemeanors unit.
The Buenos Aires Metropolitan Police’s Urban Operations Department also participated in the raid. The prosecution unit asked the city’s criminal court to issue a search warrant after confirming the den’s location.
Officers said they took the Paraguayan citizen, the 30-year-old owner of the house, into custody. Patrons arrested during the raid were released on bail.
Police said they raided the house on Villa Lugano’s Chilavert Street after learning that a gambling session was underway.
During the operation, police and prosecution bailiffs seized the cash, as well as a .38 caliber revolver loaded with five bullets. Officers also confiscated five cell phones, a gaming table, 30 decks of cards, 35 dice, bingo cards, and a bingo machine.
Citywide Crackdown Underway
Buenos Aires prosecutors have been working with the city’s courts and the capital’s gambling regulator on a wide-reaching crackdown on illegal casino platforms.
The crackdown began in earnest in September last year, when a court ordered IP providers in the province to block access to 237 websites.
The regulator and other officials have also charged 48 celebrities and influencers with promoting illegal gambling sites on their social media pages.
Argentina is home to some of Latin America’s biggest casinos. These include the giant Casino Central, one of LATAM’s largest gambling venues, in Mar de Plata.
In nearby Brazil, the government has recently announced the addition of more esports and online gaming titles to a central list of sports on which its residents can place bets.
