BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – Four suspects were charged in connection with an illegal gambling operation after deputies conducted a raid and detained 18 other people, according to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.
The gambling bust happened after 2:30 p.m. Tuesday at Royal Room 777 in the 2300 block of East Southcross Boulevard.
The sheriff’s office said three employees at the operation, including Randy Hinojosa, Jason Garcia and Jacqueline Gonzalez, face charges.
Hinojosa, Garcia and Gonzalez were charged with gambling promotion, keeping a gambling place, possession of gambling para-device and gambling-organized crime, the sheriff’s office stated.
Jeannete Zavala was charged with hindering apprehension or prosecution after locking doors in an attempt to obstruct deputies during the raid, BCSO said.
Hinojosa, the on-duty gaming attendant, allegedly admitted to various gambling-related activities, and deputies seized a “significant” amount of cash from him, deputies said.
BCSO stated that Gonzalez admitted having access to a safe at the property that contained $28,800. Her and Garcia were both working as cashiers.
In all, 60 gambling machines were seized and $67,350 was collected.
Eighteen citations were issued to players present at the time of the raid, according to the sheriff’s office. In a news conference, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said the players will face gambling charges, which were described as a Class C misdemeanor.
Salazar said the operation targeted two connected business areas: one housing gambling machines and the other handling payments.
The possession of the machines themselves is legal; it’s the way the businesses pay out that makes the operation illegal, Salazar said.
Players would receive tokens to redeem for cash at a separate location, a payout method that makes the operation illegal, he stated.
“My rule of thumb, my best advice is just don’t come to these places at all, cause you just don’t know,” Salazar said.
BCSO said there is a further investigation regarding the suspected business owners.
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