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Florida illegal gambling: Latest raid at Panda Arcade in Vero Beach

Panda Arcade and an unnamed "illegal gambling" house were shut down Wednesday after the Indian River County Sheriff's Office issued multiple search warrants as part of an ongoing investigation into illegal gambling.

Both were in Vero Beach. One was in the 1000 block of 27th Avenue Southwest. The other was in the 700 block of U.S. 1. 88 fortune

Here's what to know about ongoing adult arcade raids on the Treasure Coast.

New details:IRCSO busts of two 'illegal gambling houses'

Two 35-year-old men were arrested and charged with conducting or participating in an enterprise through racketeering. It's unclear what their affiliation is with the Panda Arcade.

Jing Guo Yang and Jinquan Lin were in the county jail on $1 million bond, spokesperson Capt. Joe Abollo said.

68 illegal gambling machines, personal and enterprise bank accounts, $37,719 on-site cash, and the two properties were shut down and seized by the sheriff's office Wednesday morning, said Sgt. Kevin Jaworski, sheriff's spokesperson.

The first arcade raid on the Treasure Coast was May 9, 2023, when 93 slot machines were removed from Midway Arcade in Fort Pierce.

Adult arcades:Florida cracking down on slots in arcades deemed illegal gambling

There are only eight pari-mutuel facilities in Broward and Miami-Dade counties and Native American tribal facilities, according to the Florida Gaming Control Commission.

Slot machines became illegal on July 1, 2022, after the Legislature approved a Gaming Compact with the Seminole Tribe of Florida in May 2021, giving the tribe almost exclusive rights to most gambling activities.

Here's what's legal in Florida, according to the Florida Gaming Control Commission:

(This story has been updated with new information)

golden dragon Gianna Montesano is TCPalm’s trending reporter. You can contact her at gianna.montesano@tcpalm.com, 772-409-1429, or follow her on X @gonthescene.