- The California Department of Justice confiscated three illegal gambling machines built for multiple players and arrested three people in Solano County on Oct. 21.
- A July tip from Vallejo police sent the case to the Bureau of Gambling Control, which chose to run the investigation itself.
- The department wrote the search warrant, a Vallejo police SWAT team served it, and Solano County prosecutors will handle the charges.
- The release names neither the business nor the three people arrested, and it notes that every defendant is presumed innocent.
VALLEJO, Calif. – An Oct. 21 raid on a Solano County business ended with three multi-player gambling machines confiscated and three people under arrest, Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Oct. 26. The California Department of Justice’s Bureau of Gambling Control ran the case, and a Vallejo Police Department SWAT team carried out the search warrant.
A July Tip Started The Case
Vallejo police passed the department a tip in July that illegal gambling spots were running inside the city, and investigators judged it credible, the release says. Investigators at the Bureau of Gambling Control looked over what the local agency had sent and chose to run the case themselves.
The department planned the operation and drew up the search warrant, and a Vallejo Police Department SWAT team then went in to serve it. The only description of the raided property in the release is a Solano County business, with no address and no line of trade.
What The Bureau Polices
The release frames the bureau’s mission as keeping gambling in California fair, competitive and clear of criminal influence, and it says the bureau steps in when a business or an individual falls short of that bar.
Tribal casinos, cardrooms, the lottery and horse racing are the legal categories set out under California gambling laws.
Bonta Warns Violators Face Prosecution
Bonta thanked the local police who worked the case alongside the department’s special agents, and said no gaming operation in the state gets a pass on running legally and in the open. He said the raid should stand as “a lesson to not bet against the California Department of Justice,” and said anyone who does will be prosecuted “to the full extent of the law.”
Charges Go To The Solano County District Attorney
Solano County prosecutors will receive the case, the release says, and it cautions that charges are allegations and that “every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.” It gives no list of expected counts, no filing date and no court date for the three people arrested.