Two Suspected Flint Storefront Casinos Have 67 Gaming Devices and Money Seized by State Officials
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On August 18, during raids at two Flint businesses, The Cellular Vault, 3301 Corunna Road, and Cellular Bank, 4622 N. Saginaw Street, state investigators seized 11 video slot machines, 56 laptops reportedly used for illegal gambling, as well as $10,141 in suspected gambling winnings and gift cards. The machines, cash, related equipment, and company documents were taken out as part of a joint investigation by the Michigan Department of Attorney General and the Michigan Gaming Control Board into the two independent firms.
According to Henry Williams, executive director of the MGCB, they have received multiple anonymous reports involving both sites in Flint.
He said that they applaud the public for their assistance in identifying potential unlawful gaming activity. The consumer protections necessary for authorized, regulated gaming are not available to customers at purported storefront casinos. The businesses may also encourage other sorts of criminal activity in the areas nearby.
39 computers in the Cellular Vault were used to play slot-style games. Also, 13 computers and 11 standalone slot machines in the Cellular Bank were used to play slot-style games. Additionally, Cellular Bank gave customers a card with a PIN so they could place bets online from remote areas like their homes.
In April, investigators raided two other purported storefront casinos, The State Road Spot in Davison and The Bristol Spot in Burton, seizing 100 gaming devices and $29,200 in claimed gambling winnings. Investigations at the Davison and Burton sites are still ongoing.
