The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office conducted a raid on an illegal gaming arcade, seizing 66 slot machines and arresting two individuals. As the busts keep coming in Florida, disgraced Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez appeared in court over accusations of facilitating illegal gambling in the state.
The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of Mohamed Belyaqout and Mabielka C. Cumbrera on Monday. The two individuals have been charged with keeping and maintaining a gambling house and possession of slot machines, officials say.
Police arrested Belyaqout at Slot 24/7 located at 5709 S. Beneva Road in Sarasota. Along with the slot machines, officials also seized an undisclosed amount of cash. The sheriff’s office issued the business a cease-and-desist order last year, but this was ignored.
“We will continue our partnership with FGCC holding these illegal gambling establishments accountable and shutting them down,” said Sheriff Hoffman.
The Florida Gaming Control Commission (FGCC) continues to take strong action against illegal gaming in the state. The agency led Operation Reel of Fortune last month, which resulted in the seizure of 625 slot machines and over $350,000 in cash.
Patrons Allege Harassment From Staff
The venue appears to have been operating for some time, albeit under other names. Google lists the address as The Spot Social Club.
Google reviews dating back two years claim harassment from staff while playing games at the arcade. One reviewer said she spent $200 to $500 a day at the game center before staff asked her to leave for “touching the machines on the screens and tapping them softly.”
She alleges that the owner hired a new member of staff who repeatedly harassed customers. The review added, “This man’s very dominant about how he likes to tell people how to play and how to spend their money.”
Another user complained that he was “Thrown out because I played a machine someone left (unattended).”iIt is unclear if management has changed since these reviews were written two years ago. The crackdown on illegal gaming in Florida has been described as a game of whac-a-mole, with venues frequently opening up in the same location under new names.
Sheriff Lopes Appears in Court
For example, Hot Seats, a venue that was shut down as part of the operation that led to the arrest of Sheriff Lopez, quickly reopened. It was the subject of another raid in January.
Lopez is accused of facilitating an illegal gambling operation that generated as much as $21 million. He appeared in court on Tuesday for the first time since posting bail last year.
Two state witnesses, Kyle Henry and Douglas Ford, were both examined. Ford, a former driver for Lopez, reportedly “gave the former Sheriff a wink Tuesday before taking the stand.”
Lopez Faces Charges as Others Agree to Plea Deals
Ford testified that he and Henry acted as a “protection detail” for the illegal gambling businesses.
He was arrested on unrelated charges in 2024, accused of accessing the criminal justice academy’s cameras to spy on his girlfriend. He agreed to a plea deal in that case, which led to an initial sentence of 24 months’ probation. This was later dropped. It is unclear if the plea deal involved testifying against Lopez.
Henry, meanwhile, was arrested last year on charges of accessing an electronic device without authority. His case remains pending. It is also unclear if he has struck a deal to appear as a witness.
Five others have agreed to plea deals in the case, including Lopez’s estranged wife, Robin Lopez. She was also sentenced to 24 months’ probation. The former Sheriff is now the only one facing charges.
Prosecutors allege Lopez personally received between $600,000 and $700,000 in cash from the illegal gambling proceeds. He has pleaded not guilty.
Lawmakers in Florida have proposed stricter regulations on gaming centers that would further the FGCC’s actions against businesses.
SB1580 looked to have gained traction, passing the Senate before being approved in the House with amendments. However, the Senate ran out of time to reapprove the amended legislation, and it died last month.
