Six Crisp County businesses remained closed Wednesday after the GBI and other agencies raided them for evidence of illegal gambling.
Cars going in and out of the BP station in Cordele, trying to get gas, but they won’t have any better luck if they go to the Shell next door.
The screens are blank and there's no gas at the pump at this gas station. The owner, Gary Watson, was one of the 6 people arrested and charged with commercial gambling.
The Crisp County Sheriff's Office worked with the Georgia Bureau of Investigations to shut down 6 businesses that were allegedly giving cash payouts instead of credits on video-game machines.
Alan Synard works at Coast to Coast Medical transport next to Red Dawg Sports Bar, one of the businesses accused of illegally gambling.
“It's a way of making money in a small town where there is not a lot of revenue flowing through,” said Synard.
He thinks that the maximum prison sentence facing the store owners, 5 years, is too severe.
“Prison -- we already know that doesn’t reform anything, we know that people come out worse criminals than they went in,” said Synard.
Sheriff Billy Hancock says the business owners are taking advantage. He's heard from families that have lost tens of thousands of dollars.
“It does affect every member of our community and some even more so when it starts destroying families,” said Hancock.
He says the investigation took a year to gather evidence, but he has a warning for people who think gambling is a joke. “The investigations never stop, we're always listening,” said Hancock.
The customers at the gas stations will have to find somewhere else to fill up until authorities give the green light for the six businesses to re-open.
Sheriff Hancock says some of the businesses were taking in much as $300,000 a month from the gambling machines.