Sheriff’s deputies early Friday arrested 15 people and seized 300 “eight-liner” gaming machines in what they say is their largest raid ever on illegal gambling sites in Tarrant County.
Readers of this blog know my disdain for victimless crime enforcement. If consenting adults want to place bets there is no reason to send the police in. What exactly was the Tarrant County Sheriff keeping us safe from? Apparently, the threat of winning cash from a slot machine.
“All five of these locations are violating the law by paying cash out to their customers as they win playing these slot machines,” Chief Simonds said. “They may claim ignorance of the law but they know exactly what they’re doing.
I don’t know how Tarrant county residents slept at night knowing that individuals were being paid cash for winning bets. I guess these eight liner payouts are somehow much more dangerous than the hundreds of lottery ticket/scratch off payouts that happen every day in Tarrant County.
Texas law doesn’t ban gambling, it just bans gambling that isn’t run by the State (horse/dog tracks aside). The State hypocritically promotes lottery sales while arresting eight liner patrons.
When gambling is legalized Texans won’t be forced to wager in illegal eight liner parlors (or Shreveport). Until then, law enforcement is working hard to protect our State’s gambling monopoly.