Manatee County moves forward with new arcade regulations to ‘reduce crime’

Manatee County officials are pursuing new rules to tighten regulations on illegal slot gambling machines that have become a widespread problem in the Bradenton area. 

Commissioner Tal Siddique shared his proposal Tuesday at the Board of County Commissioners meeting, directing county staff to draft an ordinance based on Marion County’s similar rules. Siddique said the new policy is in response to a recent investigation by the Bradenton Herald and Suncoast Searchlight. 

“Other counties, including Marion, Sumter, Seminole and Osceola, have acted to regulate them,” Siddique wrote in the agenda memo. “To reduce crime, revitalize neighborhoods and attract business, Manatee County must adopt its own local regulations.”

Commissioners directed county staff to review Marion County’s ordinance related to illegal gambling devices, like slot machines that fill “adult arcades” continuing to pop up throughout Manatee County.

“The problem we’re trying to solve is, one, public safety, and the increasing proliferation of businesses that are operating…simulated gambling devices illegally,” Siddique said. 

The board was split with a 4-3 vote in favor of moving forward with the idea. Commissioners Amanda Ballard, Mike Rahn, Jason Bearden and Siddique voted in favor, while Commissioners Carol Ann Felts, Bob McCann and George Kruse voted against the policy proposal.

Kruse spoke out as one of the strongest opponents to the proposal, which he called over-regulation.

“If someone’s doing something illegal here, like actually illegal, then it’s up to the sheriff or the City of Bradenton police, or whomever it is, to take care of that situation,” Kruse said. “All this is is protecting stupid people from themselves, and that’s not my job.”

Manatee County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Randy Warren confirmed in an email that Sheriff Rick Wells supports the idea.

Former Sarasota County Sheriff Tom Knight, now a Sarasota County commissioner, said Manatee County’s proposal should be taken into consideration by neighboring county officials. 

“During my career, crime displacement was always a tool to provide a better quality of life in communities,” Knight said. “The Manatee County ordinance and future enforcement commitments will most likely create displacement to northern Sarasota County. Something that should be monitored by law enforcement to ensure no quality of life issues become a problem in those areas.”

How do gambling laws work in Florida?

Arcade-style slot machines are regulated by Florida State Statute and the Florida Gaming Commission. Owning slot machines in Florida is restricted to about 15 casinos, either owned by the Seminole Tribe or a few businesses in South Florida that were grandfathered in. 

Florida law states that owning a “gambling house” is prohibited. Additionally, manufacturing, sale or possession of slot machines is prohibited. Violating this statute was a felony until 2019, when it changed to a misdemeanor.

The investigation by the Bradenton Herald and Suncoast Searchlight found that the low risk created little incentive for illegal gambling operators to follow the state statute.

Marion County’s ordinance takes enforcement and penalties one step further. According to the county’s code, violators receive $250 citations per device after a cease and desist is issued.

The punishments are escalated to second-degree misdemeanors and fines of up to $500 for more serious offenses, like if the violator has five or more machines or prior convictions of the code. 

“Rather than target businesses and try and shut down businesses, it’s targeting the machines themselves, which are the cause of consternation for the community,” Siddique said. 

Given the board’s approval, county staff will develop a draft ordinance that will go before the Board of County Commissioners for a vote at a later date.

Illegal slot machines persist in Manatee County

Siddique highlighted a recent investigation by the Bradenton Herald and Suncoast Searchlight as one of his reasons for bringing the proposal forward. 

The collaborative investigation took a deep dive into adult arcades and illegal gambling establishments and identified nearly 20 businesses with illegal slot machines from Bradenton to Englewood. 

These storefront casinos target fixed-income seniors with unregulated odds — sometimes refusing to pay jackpots — while doubling as magnets for drugs and crime. During the past five years alone, local law enforcement responded to hundreds of calls to these sites for burglaries, fights, stolen cars and overdoses, the joint investigation found.

While some machines offer users an illusion of winning big, the investigation found that there are no consumer protections, and customers often walk away empty-handed. 

Investigations by the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office have attempted to shut down adult arcades throughout the area. However, many businesses reopen, often under different names. 

In August, the sheriff’s office seized $160,000 in cash, 55 arcade-style slot machines and 27 computers from Good Times Arcade, 105 Cortez Road W. Last year, Bradenton police also seized four machines from a bar in downtown Bradenton.

One of the sheriff’s office’s largest gambling busts came in July 2022 as part of a countywide pursuit that targeted 53 establishments and closed about 40% of them. 

But most arrests only result in a misdemeanor. Authorities have said that closing these operations is a lengthy process and often a financial hassle. Aside from the manpower that goes into the raids, law enforcement must store the large machines as evidence. 

The illegal gambling businesses also cause issues for local law enforcement beyond the fact that the machines are forbidden. There were 56 violent calls for service linked to illegal gambling businesses in Manatee County from 2018 to 2025, according to the item memo. Those calls for service included robberies, assaults and a stabbing. 

Suncoast Searchlight reporter Josh Salman contributed to this report.