Chavdar Vasilev is a journalist covering the casino and sports betting market sectors for CasinoBeats. He joined CasinoBeats in May 2025 and reports on industry-shaping stories across the US and beyond, including legislative debates, market...
Read Full BioThe Orange County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) announced that it had shut down an illegal gambling operation disguised as a garage-door repair business on West Colonial Drive.
Behind the signage “LiftMaster Garage Door Repair,” investigators say the business was secretly running unregulated slot-style machines — devices not overseen by the Florida Gaming Control Commission (FGCC).
Deputies seized 46 gambling machines and $25,220 in cash during the raid. They arrested two individuals — 51-year-old Khalil Al Ghanim and 45-year-old Saif Eddin Ghaith.
Authorities say both face charges, including RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) violations, operating an illegal gambling house, and unlawful use of a two-way communication device.
OCSO also posted video footage of the raid on X, showing deputies uncovering rows of slot-style machines behind the storefront.
The sheriff’s department warned that without regulatory oversight, operators could manipulate payout odds, manually determine wins, and exploit customers who believed they were playing legitimate games.
Authorities reiterated that no gambling locations can lawfully operate in Orange County. They urged residents to stay vigilant and report suspected illicit gaming sites.
June Raid Possibly Connected
While unconfirmed, a June bust may be related.
In June, deputies raided a LiftMaster-branded garage-door repair business, seizing 18 machines and an undisclosed amount of cash. Authorities did not arrest any individuals during that operation.
While OSCO shared limited details in both raids, pictures and footage of the shop name and exterior signage, including what appears to be the same door design, suggest it could be the same business.
OSCO did not disclose the address or general location of the earlier operation. Still, the December announcement mentions a six-month investigation. The timeline aligns with the June bust.
Due to the lack of data, it remains unconfirmed whether the June raid targeted the same location or the same operators. Still, the sequence reflects a broader pattern: what some gambling-industry watchers call Florida’s “whack-a-mole” problem–illegal arcades get shut down, then reappear under the same or different guises.
Florida’s Statewide Illegal-Gambling Crackdown
The December bust is the latest example of an increased crackdown across Florida on illegal gambling halls. In Lee County alone, authorities have conducted over a dozen operations since August.
But while enforcement actions have increased, state authorities are finding it difficult to stamp out illicit gambling. Venues repeatedly resurface, sometimes after just weeks or months.
That’s why the FGCC has called for lawmakers to introduce stricter penalties. The state’s Attorney General, James Uthmeier, also publicly endorsed efforts to increase penalties for illegal gambling.
He cited concerns about unregulated gaming parlors, match-fixing risks, and the growth of online gray-market casinos.
Lawmakers Respond With Two Bills
In response, state lawmakers have pre-filed two major bills — House Bill 189 (HB 189) and House Bill 591 (HB 591).
They aim to tighten enforcement, broaden criminal penalties for operators, and expand the legal definition of unlawful gambling to include machine parlors, illegal advertising, and trafficking in slot machines.
- HB 189 criminalizes non-tribal land-based and online gambling, as well as sports betting. It treats unlicensed machine parlors as illegal gambling houses.
- HB 591 goes further. It introduces stricter penalties, including the outlawing of trafficking in slot machines (e.g., selling, transporting 15 or more machines), bans on gambling-related advertising, and tighter regulations on gaming-device licenses.
Supporters argue the bills are necessary to give authorities more tools to fight illegal gambling. Critics, such as sweepstakes-casino industry groups, warn that the legislation could endanger legitimate businesses.
