By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter

            A spokesman for the Florida Gaming Control Commission said Wednesday that representatives of the agency had a “productive conversation” with some of Hudson Food Store’s management team on June 5 regarding the company’s Bronson store, its use of slot machines, and how the company intends to comply with Florida gambling laws.

            “During that conversation, the management team emphasized their goal to be in compliance with Florida law,” said Eric Carr, Director of External Affairs for the FGCC. “The commission will now review additional information provided by the management team. In the meantime, the commission greatly appreciates both the Town of Bronson’s and Hudson Food Store’s concern that only regulated and compliant gaming activities are offered in this state.”

            The FGCC, the state’s regulatory and enforcement agency for gambling, said Hudson Foods is illegally operating three slot machines at the back of the store. Slot machines are legal only in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties. Tribal casinos can offer slot machines. Eight non-tribal businesses within the borders of those two counties can legally offer slot machines.

            Carr said Florida’s Family Amusement Games Act permits arcades to offer video or physical games of skill that allow a person to win tokens or tickets to be exchanged for prizes.

            “But if the arcade game includes a randomized element, such as a random chance as to which prize you can win, even if the outcome relies on skill, it’s considered a game of chance and is illegal under regulations against slot machines,” Carr said.

            As for the devices at the back of the Jiffy Store in Bronson, Carr said they are slot machines.

            “Currently the ones they have are definitely illegal,” he said.

Carr said the state has seen an explosion of adult arcades throughout Florida.

            “All of these arcades we’ve done surveillance on, the overwhelming majority of them have illegal slot machines,” he said. “We’re in the process of doing law enforcement actions and administrative actions throughout the state.”

            Last month FGCC conducted a Joint Task Force Raid with the Office of Statewide Prosecution and the Attorney General’s office to shut down four of these adult arcades, two in south Florida and two in the Tampa area, Carr said. All four had the same owner.

            “They are facing charges ranging from racketeering, conspiracy, money laundering, and operating a gambling house with illegal slot machines,” Carr said. “We’re in the process of stepping up law enforcement actions.”

            The FGCC is in its first year of operation. It has been in existence since July 1, 2022. He said the state realized it needed an agency with enforcement powers to deal with the bad actors that violate gambling laws. It created the FGCC to handle those duties.

            Carr said the machines Hudson Foods is using at the Bronson store “are not skill-based, and because it’s a game of chance and they’re paying out cash, that’s considered a slot machine. Since they’re not licensed to have slot machines – and the voters of Levy County have not voted to expand gambling – they’re not supposed to have those machines,” he said.

            Spotlight observed store customers playing all three slot machines Sunday afternoon. On Tuesday, the three slot machines were turned on and appeared operational. A store clerk was asked if customers could play on all of the machines at the back of the store. The clerk said customers could play on all of the machines.

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Enterprise Reporting June 14, 2023; Posted June 14, 2023