News 8 Investigates
News 8 finds alleged illegal Texas casinos 
08:40 PM CST on Thursday, March 2, 2006
NEWS 8 INVESTIGATES While political and religious leaders have worked vigilantly over the years to keep casinos out of Texas, a cluster of them have begun to thrive just east of Dallas. News 8 discovered at least nine casinos that were all operating illegally in Hunt County south of Greenville. Some were billed as "game rooms." Others made no bones about their attraction. Rows of video slots filled one business, giving it the feeling of a little casino, which is legal—as long as patrons win only prizes or vouchers. However, one local resident confirmed there was gambling inside the business. "It's so addicting that... once you win money, you feel like you can just keep doing it," said the woman, who wanted to remain unnamed. She said she moved to East Texas to escape the trappings of the city, yet found herself a prisoner of a ruinous addiction—in debt and in danger of losing her family. "When you live right beside a casino, you don't go fishing," she said. "Your day is spent in a dark room pushing a button and feeding a machine with money." News 8 went inside the establishment to check on the woman's claims. Is gambling going on here? "No sir, there is not," said one attendant. Days earlier, an undercover camera captured images of what appeared to be the same attendant handing over cash winnings from a video slot machine to a WFAA-TV staffer. "There you go," the attendant said. "Thanks ma'am, I appreciate it." When the attendant was asked about the video, she claimed it wasn't her captured image. "Not me, I guarantee you," she said. "No, I have not." But in game room after game room, more video appeared to show the same story. In the towns of West Tawakoni, Quinlan and even a little town called Cash, video captured attendants handing over cash winnings. In every game room News 8 played, winnings were paid in cash. But with the type of machines in these establishments, there is a catch. The machines come with an operation manual that lets the proprietor change the odds up or down by manipulating switches. The odds are literally stacked against the players. In West Tawaokoni, the police department is located right next to one of the alleged game rooms. Why aren't authorities there doing anything about it? The city gets a cut of the action, according to a document that states a $250 yearly charge is levied for a permit fee on each machine. The town of Quinlan takes a similar cut on machines found in one of their game rooms. The mayor said she had no idea illegal gambling was taking place. Hunt County Attorney Joel Littlefield said he had suspicions. "If they are paying cash, that's absolutely illegal and they will get shut down," he said. "If you have information that would help us do that, then we'd love to have it." News 8 showed him the video, and he acknowledged that the attendant was handing over cash winnings. Littlefield said the county seized several machines two years ago, but blamed their reemergence on a loophole in state law. The sheriff's department blamed the county commissioners for a lack of funds. "First of all, we don't have an undercover camera," said Chief Deputy Robert White of the Hunt County Sheriff's Department. "Secondly, you have to have someone to work undercover." The department recently sent out a letter to all of the game room operators telling them they will immediately start watching for illegal gambling. One day later, News 8 went to several of the casinos. It looked like business as usual. E-mail bshipp@wfaa.com 
