Eight people were arrested Wednesday and charged with racketeering following a large-scale investigation into alleged illegal gambling.
Authorities served 15 search warrants Tuesday at central Georgia gas stations, liquor stores, and convenience stores located in Warner Robins, Centerville, Milledgeville, Macon, and Jackson. They were also issued at four residences-- three homes in the Grove Point subdivision and one apartment at the Amber Place Community.
The raids were the result of an investigation of Warner Robins police, Department of Revenue, Georgia Lottery Corporation and the District Attorney's Office.
"The machines are designed to be in payout only for either, you know, gifts or trinkets or items of a very small dollar amount," says Warner Robins Police Chief Brett Evans. "In the stores we go through with our search warrants on, they've been documented paying out in cash, so anytime there's a cash payout, that's an automatic violation of the laws of Georgia."
Evans said he expects more warrants to be issued and more arrests will be made.
"Any time you're involved in an investigation like this, they hide money. They hide items, and they hide things, and they purchase things with the money that they're making from these," Evans says.
We'll have more details on this developing story.